Christian Eriksen was the youngest player to appear at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Two years on, aged 20, he is the playmaker-in-chief of both the Danish national team and Dutch giants AFC Ajax, with whom he has won the Eredivisie title for the past two seasons. Vision, creativity and a firm long-range shot are among his many attributes.

• Born in central Denmark, in the town of Middelfart, he joined Odense BK in his early teens and prospered at youth team and national Under-17 level, attracting the interest of scouts from all across Europe.

• Joined Ajax in October 2008 after trials with FC Barcelona, AC Milan and Chelsea FC and worked his way up to first-team level, making his Eredivisie debut on 17 January 2010 against NAC Breda.

• Less than two months after his Eredivisie debut he was a full Danish international, his first cap coming in a Vienna friendly against Austria on 3 March 2010; he made his competitive debut as a substitute against the Netherlands in Denmark's opening match at the 2010 World Cup finals in Johannesburg.

• A Dutch Cup winner at the end of his maiden half-season, he was a league champion at the end of his first full campaign, scoring six goals in 28 Eredivisie appearances as Ajax overhauled PSV Eindhoven and – on the final day – FC Twente to claim their first national championship in seven years.

• Scored his first international goal in a UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier against Iceland in Reykjavik on 4 June 2011 before returning home to Denmark to compete in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship later that month.

• Played from start to finish in Denmark's last three UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers, against Norway, Cyprus and Portugal, and was named by the Danish Football Association (DBU) as their 2011 footballer of the year.