Knud Bastrup-Birk (12 December 1919 – 25 August 1973) was a Danish amateur footballer who played 18 games for the Denmark national football team. Bastrup-Birk was born in Gentofte and played club football for Akademisk Boldklub (AB). Bastrup-Birk was a talented boxer, a good rower, and an excellent 100 m sprinter and long jumper. He played as a full-back, but his footballing style was ahead of its time. He played almost as an attack-minded libero, dribbling and passing the ball upfield when he had dispossessed an opposing player, but the attacking fashion was criticized by the leaders of both AB and the national team. He made his international debut in 1943, but due to injury, he was an unused substitute in the Danish team that won bronze medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics. He played his last game for Denmark in 1951. Honours Denmark Olympic Bronze Medal: 1948 References 1919 births 1973 deaths Association football defenders Danish men's footballers Akademisk Boldklub players Olympic bronze medalists for Denmark People from Gentofte Municipality Sportspeople from the Capital Region of Denmark