Christian Norgaard has made the switch from Brentford to N5, becoming our third signing of the summer.
The experienced midfielder has been a standout performer in the Premier League since his debut in the competition against us in August 2021, and has gone on to make over 180 Premier League appearances.
While many fans will be aware of his qualities, here are a few things you might not know about our new Danish midfielder:
Rising Up
Christian Norgaard was born in Copenhagen and has been a mainstay within the Danish national team since making his debut for the under-16s in 2009.
The midfielder made 73 appearances across youth team levels, playing at the U17 World Cup in 2011 as well as the Euro Under-21 Championship in 2015 and 2017. He then made his debut for the first team in 2020.
Euro Vision
After making his debut in 2020, Norgaard was selected for Euro 2020 with Denmark. The Danes played all three group matches at Parken in Copenhagen with Christian coming on in two of those games.
In the knockouts, he featured in a round of 16 win over Wales as well as coming on in the quarter-final win over the Czech Republic to book a place in the semi-finals. The midfielder came on in the 67th minute as the Danes were edged out by England at Wembley.
Home Comforts
Having come through the youth system at Lyngby, Christian was turning heads around the continent and moved to Hamburg in Germany. However, after not making a first-team appearance, Christian returned to Brondby where he enjoyed five successful years, winning the Danish Cup in 2018.
Despite a difficult season at Fiorentina, Christian then thrived once more under compatriot Thomas Frank at Brentford.
Hitting the Ground Running
After helping Brentford to a first appearance in the top flight since the 1940s, Christian’s Bees faced us in their opening game of the season on Friday, August 13, 2021.
Sergi Canos opened the scoring for Brentford before Christian netted the second by heading home from close range. Our new no. 16 also scored against us in the reverse fixture as we won 2-1 at Emirates Stadium.
Memory maker
While there are many positive articles about Christian Norgaard’s career in the public domain, the midfielder revealed that his grandmother takes things one step further.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Christian said his gran makes a scrapbook each year, containing newspaper cuttings of articles to do with his career. The tradition started during his time at Brondby and has continued ever since.
Galactico Inspo
As a midfielder himself, it seems only fitting that Christian’s idol growing up was one of the very best in Zinedine Zidane, revealing he had a shirt of the Frenchman from his time at Real Madrid.
“His whole vibe and aura around him, and when he moved to Real Madrid that’s when I started following Madrid and it stuck with me,” he said. “Zidane’s move there and the way he played for the Galacticos with Figo and Raul, it was just magic.”
Hole in One
While Christian has played the beautiful game most of his life, he’s also keen to swap his football boots for golf clubs and in 2021, he revealed his handicap was around 14.
He has also referenced Tiger Woods as his favourite non-football sports star.
Helping the future
While keen to take his coaching badges towards the end of his career, Christian has already been helping out future generations, who may not be picked up by academies.
In 2021, Christian helped support Tonsser, a football app which allows players to upload their goals and skills in a bid to help those who might have been missed by the system, saying: "I just find Tonsser a very interesting way of helping those people who don't get their first contract when they are 15."
Captain Chris
Leadership has been a quality that has defined Christian throughout his career. The midfielder has been a captain on numerous occasions, becoming a leader of the Denmark under-19s during Thomas Frank’s reign.
Fast forward to 2023/24 season and Norgaard stepped up and put on the armband for the Bees, replacing the outgoing Pontus Jansson. During that time, he led Brentford on 65 occasions in the Premier League and 68 times across all competitions.
Raya Reunion
Like our previous two signings this summer in Kepa Arrizabalaga and Martin Zubimendi, Christian will be welcomed by a former teammate when he steps out at the Sobha Realty Training Centre, as David Raya played alongside Christian from 2019 until departing for us in 2023.
During that time, the pair enjoyed promotion to the Premier League and played together on 107 occasions, making David the eighth-most regular teammate in Norgaard’s career.
Goalscoring form
While Norgaard is often seen as a defensive midfielder, 2024/25 was a campaign where the Danish international found his form in front of goal.
Four of his five strikes last season, his highest league tally in his career to date, came from crosses or set-pieces, and nine of his 11 career Premier League goals have come via dead-ball situations.
Danish Delight
Christian’s arrival means he will be just the fourth player from Denmark to wear the famous red and white jersey. John Jensen was the first in 1992, making 137 appearances having been bought from one of Christian’s former clubs, Brondby.
Sebastian Svard made just four appearances in four years before Nicklas Bendtner made his debut in 2005. The striker played 171 times and scored 45 goals before departing in 2014.
League Leader
Norgaard was promoted with Brentford in 2021 and has been a key cog for the Bees since their arrival in the top-flight.
A key reason for Brentford’s success in that time has been Christian’s ability to break up play and halt dangerous attacks. Since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, no player has made more interceptions (201) and recovered possession more often (844 times) in the entire division.
Set-piece threat
The stats don’t just look good for Christian in regard to interceptions and ball recoveries; he’s also proven to be a major threat from set pieces.
His overall aerial duel success rate of 61.9% last season was the 11th highest of all Premier League midfielders. When it comes to corners, Christian made first contact with the ball on 29 occasions, second for the Bees behind Nathan Collins (33).
Just Frank
Christian has worked under a few managers during his career but one man has been with him almost every step of the way. Thomas Frank managed Christian during his time in the Danish youth system before taking him to the 2011 Under-17 European Championship and making him captain of the Denmark under-19 side.
Spotting the potential, Frank then brought him to Brondby from Hamburg where the pair succeeded domestically. A year on and after an unsuccessful spell at Fiorentina, Frank linked up with Christian at Brentford where the pair spent six seasons together.
A Players’ Player
While Christian goes about his business under the radar, it’s no surprise that the Dane was recognised by his peers during his career.
At Brondby, he was voted player of the year in 2017 before following that up with multiple honours in Brentford’s first season in the Premier League. Christian was named Players’ Player of the Season and Supporters’ Player of the Season for his outstanding 2021/22.
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