Alexander Hartmann Bah (born 9 December 1997) is a Danish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal ...

club Benfica and the Denmark national team. After coming through Næsby's youth academy, he was promoted to the first team in 2016, and later represented fellow Danish side

HB Køge HB Køge () is a professional Danish football club based primarily in the town of Herfølge, and secondly in the town of Køge, both in the Køge Municipality, part of 'Region of Zealand', in the eastern part of Zealand, south of Copenhagen. ...

and spent two years with

SønderjyskE SønderjyskE is a Danish sport corporation. They have a football team ( SønderjyskE Fodbold, based in Haderslev), two handball teams ( SønderjyskE Håndbold, one male based in Sønderborg, one female based in Aabenraa) and an ice hockey t ...

Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each y ...

. In January 2021, Bah joined

Slavia Prague Sportovní klub Slavia Praha – fotbal (Sports Club Slavia Prague – Football, ), commonly known as Slavia Praha or Slavia Prague, is a Czech professional football club in Prague. Founded in 1892, they are the second most successful club in t ...

, where he won the

Czech First League The Czech First League, known as the Fortuna liga for sponsorship reasons, is a Czech professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Czech football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Seasons typically r ...

and

Czech Cup The Czech Cup ( cs, Pohár FAČR), officially known as the MOL Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the major men's football cup competition in the Czech Republic. It is organised by the Czech Football Association. The Czech Cup was first held in 1 ...

in 2021 and was named the

's Defender of the Season in 2022, and then transferred to Benfica for €8 million. After representing Denmark at various youth levels, Bah was called up to the full international team for the first time in November 2020. He scored on his international debut against Sweden, and went on to represent the side at the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022; it is the first Wo ...

Early life

Bah was born in

Årslev Årslev is a town in central Denmark on the island of Funen. It was located in Årslev Municipality, until 1 January 2007 when it became part of Faaborg-Midtfyn Municipality. The town has a population of 4,193 (1 January 2022).Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as o ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establishe ...

, and is of Gambian descent. He later attended

efterskole An efterskole (literally ''"afterschool"'', plural efterskoler) is a unique type of Danish voluntary independent residential school for young people between the age of 14 to 18. At an efterskole, students can choose to spend one, two or three yea ...

education at ISI Idrætsefterskole in

Ikast Ikast is a Danish town in the Mid Jutland Region (''Midtjylland''). It is the seat of Ikast-Brande Municipality since 2007. It was the seat of the former Ikast Municipality. Geography The town is situated in the middle of Jutland. The town is s ...

, where he also made appearances for local side

Ikast FS Ikast FC is an association football club based in the town of Ikast, Denmark, that competes in the Series 1, the sixth tier of the Danish football league system and the second tier of the regional DBU Jutland. Founded in 2018 as a superstructure ...

Club career

Early career

Bah started his footballing career with local club Aarslev Boldklub, where he played for ten years before joining

B 1913 Boldklubben 1913 is a Danish football club which plays in Albani Series. They play at Campus Road, in Odense on Funen. B1913 spent one season in the ''1961–62 European Cup'', which is the club's most notable international appearance. From ...

. He joined

Næsby Boldklub Næsby Boldklub is a Danish football club currently playing in the Danish 3rd Division, the fourth tier of Danish football. They play at ALPI Arena Næsby in Kirkendrup, Odense N. Their home ground has a capacity of 2,500. History Early ye ...

three years later, in the spring of 2013, because the club according to Bah " ..had a good reputation for developing young players". Furthermore, his youth coach Andreas Bech had also moved to Næsby Boldklub, which was also a significant factor in Bah's choice. After attending ISI Idrætsefterskole in

in 2014–15, he returned to Næsby.

Næsby Boldklub

Bah made his breakthrough on the first team of

in the spring of 2016. He started on the bench in the first three games of the season, where he impressed as a substitute. He made his first start in the fourth matchday of the spring against

Avarta Boldklubben Avarta is a Danish football club currently playing in the Danish 2nd Division Group 1, which ranks as the third highest league in Denmark. Avarta's home ground is Espelundens Idrætsanlæg in Rødovre, Copenhagen, which has a capacity ...

on 2 April 2016, which Næsby won 4–0 at home at ALPI Arena Næsby, putting on a strong performance. He continued the season as a starter during the spring of 2016, where he made a total of six assists in 16 appearances in the third-tier

Danish 2nd Division The 2nd Division ( da, Danmarksturneringens 2. division or Herre-DM 2. division) is a semi-professional association football league for men and the third division in Denmark. It is organised by the Divisionsforeningen on behalf of the Danish Footb ...

HB Køge

In August 2016, it was announced that Bah moved to

, where he signed a three-year contract. He made his debut for the club in the

Danish Cup The Danish Cup ( da, Landspokalturneringen; often referred to as Pokalen) is the official " knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955. The winner will qu ...

as part of the starting lineup, where he played the first 60 minutes before being replaced by Ahmed Hassan in a 0–2 win over Karlslunde IF in the 1st round. In November 2017, he was named "Talent of the Year", also known as the "

Danske Bank Danske Bank A/S is a Danish multinational banking and financial services corporation. Headquartered in Copenhagen, it is the largest bank in Denmark and a major retail bank in the northern European region with over 5 million retail customers. ...

Award", for HB Køge in 2017.

SønderjyskE

On 7 August 2018, Bah signed a five-year contract with

club

. He arrived at the club as a

right winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

, but largely played as a

right wing-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either ...

with great success, which, among other things, have contributed to SønderjyskE winning a

title and Bah making his full international debut for the Denmark national team. He was among the three nominated for Superliga Player of the Month in November 2020, but saw the award go to

Jesper Lindstrøm Jesper Grænge Lindstrøm (; born 29 February 2000), also known as Jobbe, is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt and the Denmark national team. Lindstrøm made his full internat ...

Brøndby IF Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening (, usually abbreviated to Brøndby IF (), is a professional association football club based in Brøndbyvester, Capital Region of Denmark. The club was founded in 1964 as a merger between two local clubs and was pr ...

Slavia Prague

On 5 January 2021, Bah signed for

club

on a four-and-a-half year contract. In doing so, SønderjyskE received a club record fee reported to be around DKK 13 million. He made his debut for the club as a starter on 16 January in a 3–1 win over

Sigma Olomouc SK Sigma Olomouc is a Czech football club from the city of Olomouc. The club currently plays in the Czech First League, the first tier of Czech football. The club played in the first tier league for 30 years between 1984 and 2014, winning the ...

. Bah arrived at the club as a replacement for Vladimír Coufal, who left the for English

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

side

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium ...

, during the season, quickly became a starter in the right-back slot, after impressing his coach

Jindřich Trpišovský Jindřich Trpišovský (born 27 February 1976) is a Czech football manager who is currently the manager of Slavia Prague. Playing career During his playing career, Trpišovský played for Čechie Karlín as a goalkeeper. At the age of 12, Trpiš ...

for his defensive positioning and attacking play, helping his team win the domestic double of the

and

. The following season, Bah was named the Czech First League's Defender of the Season, making 26 appearances and scoring three goals as Slavia Prague finished runners-up behind

Viktoria Plzeň Viktoria usually refers to Viktoria, a name which is the same as Victoria (name), but may also refer to: Places * FK Viktoria Stadion, stadium of Viktoria Žižkov * Viktoria-Luise-Platz, building in Berlin * Viktoriastadt, now known as Victor ...

, while also helping the club reached the quarter-finals of the inaugural

UEFA Europa Conference League The UEFA Europa Conference League (abbreviated as UECL) is an annual football club competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. Clubs qualify for the competition based on the ...

, where his team were eliminated, after losing 6–4 on aggregate to eventual finalists

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its ...

Benfica

On 7 June 2022, Bah signed a five-year contract with

side Benfica, for a reported fee of €8 million, joining former Slavia Prague teammate

Petar Musa Petar Musa (; born 4 March 1998) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club FC Dallas and the Croatia national team. Club career Early career Born in Zagreb, Musa started playing football in the ...

. He made his debut for the club on 5 August, replacing

Gilberto Gilberto is the Iberian and Italian version of the originally Norman-French given name ''Gilbert'', used in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish languages. In Galician, it's spelled Xilberto or Xilberte. ''Gilbert'' is ultimately derived from the Germ ...

in the 63rd minute and providing the assist for

Rafa Silva Rafa is a masculine given name, mostly as a diminutive form ( hypocorism) of Rafael. It may refer to: People * Rafael Nadal (born 1986), Spanish tennis player * Rafa (footballer, born 1985), Spanish footballer Rafael López Gómez * Rafael B ...

's goal in a 4–0 home win over Arouca in the

International career

Bah represented

at under-20 and under-21, for a total of 2

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...

. On 9 November 2020, he was called up to

Kasper Hjulmand Kasper Hjulmand (born 9 April 1972) is a Danish football manager and a former player. He is the head coach for the Denmark national team. Playing career A defender, Hjulmand began his career with Randers Freja in 1987 where he played four yea ...

's senior squad for the friendly against Sweden due to several cancellations from, among others, the Danish national team players playing in England, due to the

COVID-19 restrictions Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions colloquially known as lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions) have been implemented in numerous coun ...

, as well as a case of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

in the squad, which had put several national team players in quarantine. He came on as a substitute at half-time during the match against Sweden and scored the final goal in a 2–0 win at

Brøndby Stadium Brøndby Stadium ( da, Brøndby Stadion, ) is a football stadium in Brøndbyvester, Denmark and the home ground of Danish Superliga club Brøndby IF. It is the second-largest stadium in Denmark. Built in 1965 and inaugurated on 31 July 1966 where ...

in his debut match, on 11 November 2020.

Style of play

Bah is mainly known for his speed, energy and offensive capabilities, as well as his technique, creativity and crossing ability. He is capable of playing as a full-back or winger on the right flank. He is an aggressive player who attacks spaces and seeks to break deep blocks with accurate passes, capable of receiving a pass from on the byline and finding the penalty spot with a pinpoint cross to allow his teammate to convert.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bah goal''.

Honours

SønderjyskE *

: 2019–20 Slavia Prague *

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

Individual *

Danish 1st Division The 1st Division (''1. Division'') is the second-highest football league in Denmark, also known as NordicBet Liga for sponsorship reasons. From 1945 to 1991 the 1. Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark. With the forma ...

's Talent of the Year: 2017 *

's Defender of the Season: 2022

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bah, Alexander 1997 births Living people Danish men's footballers People from Faaborg-Midtfyn Municipality Denmark international footballers Danish people of Gambian descent Danish Superliga players Czech First League players Primeira Liga players Ikast FS players FC Fyn players Næsby Boldklub players HB Køge players SønderjyskE Fodbold players SK Slavia Prague players S.L. Benfica footballers Association football midfielders Danish 1st Division players Danish 2nd Division players Danish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate footballers in the Czech Republic Expatriate footballers in Portugal Denmark youth international footballers Denmark under-21 international footballers Danish expatriate sportspeople in the Czech Republic Danish expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Sportspeople from the Region of Southern Denmark 2022 FIFA World Cup players