AaB and brief Udinese stint Born in
Grindsted, Gaarde started playing with a local amateur club at the age of five. He played youth football with
Vejle, but did not like the atmosphere in the team, and decided to end his dream of a professional career at the age of 16. He returned to amateur football in Grindsted. At the age of 20, Gaarde was poised to start an academic education, when an offer from lower-league
Denmark Series club
Vejen prompted him to reignite his footballing career instead. He helped the club win
promotion for the
Danish 2nd Division, and was approached by a number of Danish clubs in the Summer 1997. He turned professional at the age of 22, as he signed a contract with top-flight club
AaB before the
1997–98 Superliga season. He was signed to replace retired defender
Ib Simonsen, though Gaarde made it clear that his favoured position was in midfield. Gaarde had a remarkable start at Aalborg BK. In the
1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup, the club lost a game 8–2 to Dutch club
SC Heerenveen, and Gaarde was promptly moved to the midfield. In his Superliga debut on 27 July 1997, Gaarde was
sent off in a 0–0 draw with
Odense BK. Despite the negatives, Gaarde quickly established himself in the team, as he played 31 of 33 league games and scored six goals in his first season with Aalborg BK. One of his most remarkable games came in a game against Vejle Boldklub in October 1998. Aalborg was down 2–0 when Gaarde came on as a substitute in the 60th minute and promptly scored a
hat-trick in nine minutes to help Aalborg win 4–2. He played 31 of 33 games and scored eight goals in the
1998–99 Superliga season, as Aalborg BK won the second championship in club history. He played a total 109 league games and scored 22 goals for Aalborg BK from 1997 to 2000. While at Aalborg BK, Gaarde had played four games in the
UEFA Cup and
UEFA Intertoto Cup tournaments against Italian club
Udinese, who had not been able to handle his awkward playing style. In December 2000, Gaarde was bought by Udinese Calcio under manager
Roy Hodgson. He made his Serie A debut on 7 January 2001, in a 3–1 defeat to
Perugia. While at Udinese, Gaarde was sent off during a game without even playing. Hodgson soon left the club, and Gaarde did not find playing success at Udinese. He suffered from injuries, and only played eight league games in the
Serie A championship. In February 2002, he had a trial with Scottish side
Livingston but was not offered a permanent deal. He moved back to Aalborg BK in spring 2002, and played his come-back game for Aalborg BK in May 2002. In June 2005, Gaarde played his last Superliga game for the club. He played a combined total of 227 games and scored 48 goals in all competitions for Aalborg BK.
Viking Gaarde moved to Norwegian club
Viking, once again playing under Roy Hodgson. Though Hodgson soon left the club, Gaarde was a success at Viking, and scored four goals in his first 13 games for the club. He was named
team captain. When Gaarde suffered an injury in 2007, fellow Dane
Nicolai Stokholm took over the role as captain. Gaarde played a combined total of 136 games and scored 25 goals in all competitions for Viking FK.
Vejle In January 2009, he moved back to Denmark to play for
relegation battlers
Vejle in the Danish Superliga. In his debut game for Vejle, Gaarde was sent off in a 1–1 draw with
FC Nordsjælland. ==Post-playing career==