Mathias Jensen (born 1 January 1996) 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 lea ...
who plays as a
central midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
for club
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has dive ...
academy
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
and began his senior career with the club in 2016. Following two seasons as a regular member of the team, he transferred to Celta Vigo in 2018. After an injury-hit 2018–19 season, he transferred to Brentford and was a part of the squad which was promoted to the Premier League in 2021. A former Denmark youth international, Jensen made his full international debut in 2020. He was a member of the Denmark squads at Euro 2020, the
2022 World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
, Jensen progressed through the
academy
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
at Nordsjælland and signed a three-year professional contract in January 2015. He was promoted into the first team squad for the 2015–16 season and made five appearances during the campaign, scoring one goal, which came in a 2–2 draw with
Randers
Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is List of cities and towns in Denmark, Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 64,511 (). Jensen was a regular in the 2016–17 season, making 22 appearances, before 2017–18 proved to be his breakthrough season. He made 36 appearances, scored 12 goals, was awarded the
captaincy
A captaincy ( , , ) is a historical administrative division of the former Spanish colonies, Spanish and Portuguese colonies, Portuguese colonial empires. It was instituted as a method of organization, directly associated with the home-rule admin ...
and his achievements were recognised by the DBU and his club, with the DBU 2017 Talent of the Year and FC Nordsjælland Player of the Year awards respectively. After three early 2018–19-season appearances, Jensen departed Nordsjælland in August 2018. During just over three seasons as a professional at
Farum Park
Right to Dream Park, historically known as Farum Park, is a football stadium in Farum, Denmark. It is the home ground of FC Nordsjælland and Hillerød Fodbold. The stadium has a capacity of 10,300 of which 9,800 are seated. Farum Park is the f ...
, Jensen made 66 appearances and scored 15 goals.
Celta Vigo
On 8 August 2018, Jensen moved to Spain joining
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
club Celta Vigo on a five-year contract. During an injury-affected 2018–19 season, he made just six appearances and left the club in July 2019.
Brentford
2019–2021
On 10 July 2019, Jensen moved to England signing with
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this sys ...
club
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has dive ...
on a four-year contract, with the option of an additional year, for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £3.5 million. He made 43 appearances and scored one goal during the 2019–20 season, which ended with defeat in the 2020 Championship play-off final. Jensen made a career high 53 appearances during the 2020–21 season and celebrated promotion to the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
As a result of suffering a "badly gashed" foot while away on international duty, Jensen missed Brentford's entire 2021–22
pre-season
In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...
and the first three matches of the regular season. Restricted to a mix of starting and substitute roles, particularly after the January 2022 signing of
Christian Eriksen
Christian Dannemann Eriksen (; born 14 February 1992) is a Danish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United F.C., Manchester United and the Denmark national football team, ...
, Jensen made 35 appearances during a "stop-start" season. Despite being affected by
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
and another minor injury, Jensen won praise from head coach Thomas Frank for training "like an animal" while sidelined.
2022–23
Entering the final year of his contract, Jensen hired his own
personal trainer
A personal trainer is an individual who creates and delivers safe and effective exercise programs for healthy individuals and groups, or those with medical clearance to exercise. They motivate clients by collaborating to set goals, providing m ...
to work with him daily during the off-season in
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
and he returned for the 2022–23 pre-season "in incredible shape". He was challenged by head coach Thomas Frank to be the replacement for the departed Christian Eriksen. Jensen began the regular season in a starting role and as a regular set piece taker. Coaching from specialist
throw-in
A throw-in is a method of restarting play in a game of association football when the whole of ball passes over the touchline. It is governed by Law 15 of Laws of the Game (association football), the Laws of the Game. In Scotland it is known a ...
coach Thomas Gronnemark helped length his throws. Jensen's performance and first Premier League goal in a 4–0 win over
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
on 13 August 2022 was recognised with the
man of the match
In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...
award.
On 18 January 2022, Jensen signed a new -year contract, with the option of a further year. Head coach Thomas Frank commended Jensen's " pressing abilities", "his defensive mindset" and stated that "he has been one of our best players so far this season". In the process of winning his 23rd cap for
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
on 23 March 2023, Jensen became Brentford's most-capped international player. Until missing the final match of the season, Jensen had been an ever-present starter in league matches and had improved his goal tally to five.
2023–2025
Awarded the vice-captaincy and a starter when fit, Jensen made 36 appearances and scored four goals during a lower mid-table 2023–24 season. Injury and illness affected Jensen's 2024–25 season and he lost his starting place to Mikkel Damsgaard. He ended the season with 27 appearances, predominantly as a substitute.
International career
Jensen made 30 appearances and scored 3 goals for Denmark between U18 and U21 level. He was a part of Denmark's squads at the
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
and 2019 European U21 Championships and captained the team in the latter tournament. Jensen was named in the senior team's preliminary 35-man squad for the
2018 World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in l ...
, but he was not included in the final squad. In October 2020, Jensen won a late call-up to the full Denmark squad for a series of three matches, as a replacement for injured Brentford teammate Christian Nørgaard. He made his full international debut with a start in a 4–0 friendly win over the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
on 7 October and scored his first full international goal on his fifth cap, in a 8–0 2022 World Cup qualifying win over
Moldova
Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
on 28 March 2021.
Jensen was named in the Denmark squad for Euro 2020 and he appeared as a substitute in each of the six matches during the Danes' run to the semi-final. Jensen was named in Denmark's
2022 World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
squad and made two appearances prior to the team's group stage exit. Jensen was named in Denmark's Euro 2024 squad, but was an unused substitute in each match prior to the team's round-of-16 exit.
Style of play
Jensen has been described as a "player who can dictate the game", "has a great passing ability" and "a great football brain". Midway through the 2022–23 season, he remarked that while he has "always been a technical player who doesn't really enjoy the big
tackles
Tackle may refer to:
* In football:
** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football
** Tackle (gridiron football position)
A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...
", he had developed his "aggression" and "adapted to the tempo of the Premier League".
Personal life
Jensen is a Manchester United and
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
supporter.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jensen goal.''
Honours
Brentford
*
EFL Championship play-offs
The English Football League (EFL) Championship play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from third to sixth in the EFL Championship table and are part of the English Football League play-o ...
:
2021
Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
FC Nordsjælland
Football Club Nordsjælland, commonly known as FC Nordsjælland, Nordsjælland () or FCN, is a professional Danish association football, football team from the North Zealand town of Farum. Founded as ''Farum Boldklub'' from the merger of the to ...