Why did you choose People In Sport in the first place?

"One of my teammates had worked with Michael Stensgaard. He told me about Michael's commitment, knowledge and empathy from his own extensive experience in elite football. Shortly afterwards, Michael came to watch me in an OB match, and I remember being flattered by the interest. Back then - even then - the agent business was not one where you could trust anyone and everyone as a young player. In the end, I chose to let him and People In Sport represent me because I felt comfortable with Michael and the detailed way they would work for me," says Anders Lindegaard.

I could concentrate 100% on the sporting side of things, while People in Sport took care of almost everything else

"Unfortunately, many young talents rely heavily on bad advice and agents who promise gold and great opportunities that later turn out to be empty promises. People In Sport and Michael showed me how they would organize a collaboration and that they had a real desire for a long-term collaboration.
I could feel that they had their heads, experience and hearts in their ideas. They listened to my dreams, and then we made a long-term plan with clear, shared goals for what we needed to do to achieve them. In my case, this included the dream of playing on the big stage, preferably for Manchester United. Michael was responsive, and together we made a plan for how to realize it. But it was also a plan where they quite honestly made it clear to me what it would take to get there, and that I needed to be able to concentrate 100% on the sporting side of things, while they took care of almost everything else," says Anders Lindegaard.

One of the things Anders Lindegaard was already aware of as a young, talented goalkeeper was that neither he nor his family had the experience or the right international contacts to realize his dream of a professional career. The talent was there, but not the knowledge of the large organization that needs to be around a player to succeed at the top level.

Their work was grounded because we were able to realize the first points of the career plan.

"Michael was honest from the start and made high demands on me, just as he has always called a spade a spade when we talked about goals, for example. He and Mads Winther quickly showed me that their work was solid because we were able to realize the first points in the career plan. Since I was 16 years old, I had been in contact with a number of agents who were a little too "smart in a hurry", and I could sense that these agents' interest in me was more selfish than good," says Anders.

We were working towards the ultimate goal of me wanting a contract with Manchester United.

"With Michael, we worked towards the ultimate goal of me wanting a contract with Manchester United. He constantly made honest demands about what I had to do athletically to even be considered by that club. People In Sport had just got me a contract in Norway, and I had to perform a great season in Aalesund as step one. I also had to be selected for the Danish national team and perform consistently. If I could do that athletically, they guaranteed me that United would take notice of me. At the same time, People In Sport got in touch with their English contacts, and the rest is history, because in 2010 I managed to get a 3½-year contract with Manchester United," says Anders Lindegaard.

"At one point I was very focused on getting that big contract after United that would secure me financially for many years. During my time at United, I actually put Michael in the chair at the door and told him that I wanted to obtain offers from other agents and that People In Sport should participate on an equal footing with others and describe what they thought they could do in the future. They delivered so well on goals and opportunities that I chose to extend my contract with them. A decision I haven't regretted since. They were honest and said what they thought would be wise, rather than trying to push through one of the big, financially very attractive offers for their own gain. They were also focused on working on everything off the pitch, from legal, media, commercial and sporting efforts. And then they also had the nice detail that they, together with me, wanted to take a long-term view of what would happen when my career at the top level came to an end."

At Manchester United, your career in England got off to a great start, but Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea became first choice when he joined shortly after. Was this a situation where People In Sport was a support for you?

"There, Michael and People In Sport showed themselves at their best and with a human insight I appreciate very much. They supported me, talked to the club, and made the right and concise demands on how I should act at the club and beyond to ensure that I would be in the best possible position, whether I was to continue at United or further in my career. Michael often knew things about me and my career almost before I did. For me, the professional honesty on their part was and is important. I know that People In Sport has several employees involved in the work, but Michael had over the years developed into a friend I knew I could trust, which is why his and the company's advice was also very valuable at the time," says Anders Lindegaard.

How is the dialog with People In Sport today, where you are on contract in Helsingborg?

"Great! They continuously help me with challenges of one kind or another, even the private ones. For almost 20 years now, they have helped me with much more than the classic agent work, and I naturally listen to them with great trust. In recent years, our dialog has been with increasing focus on what the time after the elite career should bring. I have a contract for the next few years and I'm happy in Helsingborg. But it's clear that I'm thinking about what happens afterwards. We talk about that a lot, and here, too, they set up goals and opportunities that I will ultimately have to decide on".

Would you recommend People In Sport to other soccer players?

"In the football industry, there is a lot of word of mouth between players and there is a fierce battle between agents to secure players' signatures. I'm always proud to say that I've used the same agent company for years because they're professional, straightforward and, perhaps most importantly, honest and transparent in everything they do. For example, it's very transparent that you pay a certain percentage of your salary for their work and that things never happen behind your back. They obviously make a lot more money on someone like me than on a young player, but I also know that that money has come back many times over the years. I recommend them with both pleasure and pride, because I don't think I would have had the same career if it wasn't for Michael Stensgaard and People In Sport," Anders concludes.