Alexander Bah

Alexander Bah

Bah with Benfica in 2022
Personal information
Full name	Alexander Hartmann Bah [1]
Date of birth	(1997-12-09) 9 December 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth	Årslev, Denmark
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) [2]
Position(s)	Right-back
Team information
Current team	Benfica
Number	6
Youth career
1998–2011	Aarslev Boldklub
2011–2013	B 1913
2013–2014	Næsby
2014–2015	Ikast FS
2015–2016	Næsby
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016	Næsby	17	(0)
2016–2018	HB Køge	59	(8)
2018–2020	SønderjyskE	58	(6)
2021–2022	Slavia Prague	43	(4)
2022–	Benfica	59	(3)
International career‡
2017	Denmark U20	4	(0)
2018–2019	Denmark U21	2	(0)
2020–	Denmark	20	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:56, 19 December 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:44, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Alexander Hartmann Bah (born 9 December 1997) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Primeira Liga 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 and spent two years with SønderjyskE in Danish Superliga. In January 2021, Bah joined Slavia Prague, where he won the Czech First League and Czech Cup in 2021 and was named the Czech First League'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 and UEFA Euro 2024.

Early life

Bah was born in Årslev on the island of Funen, Denmark, ^[3] and is of Danish and Gambian descent. ^[4] He later attended efterskole education at ISI Idrætsefterskole in Ikast, where he also made appearances for local side Ikast FS. ^{[5] [6]}

Club career

Early career

Bah started his footballing career with local club Aarslev Boldklub, ^[7] where he played for ten years before joining B 1913. ^{[8] [9]} He joined Næsby Boldklub three years later, in the spring of 2013, because the club according to Bah "[...] had a good reputation for developing young players". ^[10] Furthermore, his youth coach Andreas Bech had also moved to Næsby Boldklub, which was also a significant factor in Bah's choice. ^[10] After attending ISI Idrætsefterskole in Ikast in 2014–15, he returned to Næsby. ^[11]

Næsby Boldklub

Bah made his breakthrough on the first team of Næsby Boldklub in the spring of 2016. ^[10] He started on the bench in the first three games of the season, where he impressed as a substitute. ^[10] He made his first start in the fourth matchday of the spring against Avarta on 2 April 2016, which Næsby won 4–0 at home at ALPI Arena Næsby, putting on a strong performance. ^{[10] [12]} 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. ^{[13] [10]}

HB Køge

In August 2016, it was announced that Bah moved to HB Køge, where he signed a three-year contract. ^[14] He made his debut for the club in the Danish Cup 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. ^[15] In November 2017, he was named "Talent of the Year", also known as the "Danske Bank Award", for HB Køge in 2017. ^[11]

SønderjyskE

On 7 August 2018, Bah signed a five-year contract with Danish Superliga club SønderjyskE. ^{[16] [17]} He arrived at the club as a right winger, but largely played as a right wing-back with great success, which, among other things, have contributed to SønderjyskE winning a Danish Cup 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 of Brøndby IF. ^[18]

Slavia Prague

On 5 January 2021, Bah signed for Czech First League club Slavia Prague on a four-and-a-half-year contract. ^[19] In doing so, SønderjyskE received a club record fee reported to be around DKK 13 million. ^[20] He made his debut for the club as a starter on 16 January in a 3–1 win over Sigma Olomouc. ^{[21] [22]} Bah arrived at the club as a replacement for Vladimír Coufal, who left the for English Premier League side West Ham United, during the season, quickly became a starter in the right-back slot, after impressing his coach Jindřich Trpišovský for his defensive positioning and attacking play, helping his team win the domestic double of the Czech First League and Czech Cup. ^{[23] [11]}

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, while also helping the club reached the quarter-finals of the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League, where his team were eliminated, after losing 6–4 on aggregate to eventual finalists Feyenoord. ^[24]

Benfica

On 7 June 2022, Bah signed a five-year contract with Primeira Liga side Benfica, for a reported fee of €8 million, joining former Slavia Prague teammate Petar Musa. ^{[25] [26]} He made his debut for the club on 5 August, replacing Gilberto in the 63rd minute and providing the assist for Rafa Silva's goal in a 4–0 home win over Arouca in the Primeira Liga. ^[27]

International career

Bah represented Denmark at under-20 and under-21, for a total of 2 caps. ^[28]

On 9 November 2020, he was called up to Kasper Hjulmand'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, as well as a case of COVID-19 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 in his debut match, on 11 November 2020. ^[29]

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. ^[30]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 19 December 2024 ^[28]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [a]		League cup [b]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Næsby	2015–16	Danish 2nd Division	16	0	0	0	—		—		—		16	0
	2016–17	Danish 2nd Division	1	0	0	0	—		—		—		1	0
	Total		17	0	0	0	—		—		—		17	0
HB Køge	2016–17	Danish 1st Division	27	4	4	0	—		—		—		31	4
	2017–18	Danish 1st Division	30	3	3	1	—		—		—		33	4
	2018–19	Danish 1st Division	2	1	0	0	—		—		—		2	1
	Total		59	8	7	1	—		—		—		66	9
SønderjyskE	2018–19	Danish Superliga	21	2	3	1	—		—		2 [c]	0	26	3
	2019–20	Danish Superliga	29	1	5	0	—		—		—		34	1
	2020–21	Danish Superliga	12	4	0	0	—		1 [d]	0	—		13	4
	Total		62	7	8	1	—		1	0	2	0	73	8
Slavia Prague	2020–21	Czech First League	17	1	3	0	—		6 [d]	0	—		26	1
	2021–22	Czech First League	26	3	1	0	—		15 [e]	3	—		42	6
	Total		43	4	4	0	—		21	3	0	0	68	7
Benfica	2022–23	Primeira Liga	28	1	3	0	1	0	10 [f]	0	—		42	1
	2023–24	Primeira Liga	19	2	3	0	0	0	9 [g]	0	1 [h]	0	32	2
	2024–25	Primeira Liga	12	0	1	0	1	0	5 [f]	1	0	0	19	1
	Total		59	3	7	0	2	0	24	1	1	0	93	4
Career total			240	22	26	2	2	0	46	4	3	0	317	28

1. Includes Danish Cup, Czech Cup, Taça de Portugal
2. Includes Taça da Liga
3. Appearances in Danish Superliga relegation play-offs
4. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
5. Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League, eleven appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa Conference League
6. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
7. Three appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances in UEFA Europa League
8. Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira

International

As of match played 15 November 2024 ^[31]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Denmark	2020	1	1
	2021	1	0
	2022	4	0
	2023	3	0
	2024	11	0
Total		20	1

As of match played 15 November 2024

Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bah goal. ^[31]

List of international goals scored by Alexander Bah

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	11 November 2020	Brøndby Stadium, Brøndbyvester, Denmark	1	Sweden	2–0	2–0	Friendly

Honours

SønderjyskE

• Danish Cup: 2019–20 ^[32]

Slavia Prague

• Czech First League: 2020–21 ^[33]
• Czech Cup: 2020–21 ^[34]

Benfica

• Primeira Liga: 2022–23 ^[35]
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2023 ^[36]

Individual

• Danish 1st Division's Talent of the Year: 2017 ^[11]
• Czech First League's Defender of the Season: 2022 ^[11]

References

1. "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Denmark (DEN)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 9. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
2. "Bah". S.L. Benfica. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
3. Kragh Iversen, Jens (25 December 2019). "Bah hat noch keine Eile". Der Nordschleswiger (in Danish). Retrieved 12 November 2020.
4. Dalgaard, Rasmus (12 September 2016). "18-årige Bah i HB Køge: Vil være stamspiller hurtigst muligt".
5. "Det siger tidligere elever". isi.dk (in Danish). ISI Idrætsefterskole. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020. Jeg valgte ISI på grund af skolens gode omdømme i forhold til at udvikle fodboldspillere og alle de gode faciliteter – både sportsligt og som efterskolelev.
6. "Ikast FS - Aabenraa BK". dbu.dk. Danish Football Association . Retrieved 11 November 2020.
7. Abildtrup, Niels (21 August 2018). "Årslev stolt over Bahs debut". Fyens Stiftstidende (in Danish). Retrieved 11 November 2020.
8. "Alexander Bah: På vej mod store eventyr". Næsby Boldklub (in Danish). 24 January 2021.
9. Abildtrup, Niels (15 December 2022). "Gang i sagerne og sang i gaderne i fynsk fodbold - Dalum og OKS størst, mens OB på Ærø kæmper hårdt". Fyns Amts Avis (in Danish). Retrieved 19 December 2022.
10. "Interview med Alexander Bah". Næsby Boldklub (in Danish). 31 March 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
11. "Alexander Bah, um dinamarquês que vem de Praga para ser a nova solução do Benfica para um problema antigo". Observador (in Portuguese). 7 June 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
12. "Næsby - Avarta, 2. Division Nedrykningsspil 2015/2016". bold.dk. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
13. Miles, Peter (10 August 2016). "Næsby: Bah kan blive Superliga-spiller". bold.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 12 November 2020.
14. Larsen, Michael Patrick (10 August 2016). "HB Køge henter Bah i Næsby". D'Bold (in Danish). Retrieved 12 November 2020.
15. "Karlslunde 0-2 HB Køge". HB Køge (in Danish). 10 August 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
16. Ravn, Jacob (7 August 2018). "SønderjyskE henter profil i HB Køge". SønderjyskE Fodbold (in Danish). Retrieved 12 November 2020.
17. Møller Karlsen, Nanna (6 August 2018). "SønderjyskE snupper Alexander Bah". bold.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 12 November 2020.
18. Dehn, Anders (2 December 2020). "Brøndby-bombere og Bah: Her er de nominerede til Superliga-pris". Tipsbladet (in Danish). Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
19. "Slavii posílil dánský reprezentant Alexander Bah". slavia.cz (in Czech). SK Slavia Prague. 5 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
20. "SønderjyskE sælger forsvarsspiller i rekordhandel". TV 2 (in Danish). 5 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
21. "Happy for my debut and for important points". en.slavia.cz. Slavia Prague. 17 January 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
22. "Slavia po dvou penaltách porazila na úvod ligového jara Olomouc". České Noviny (in Czech). 16 January 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
23. "He came, he saw, he conquers. How the Danish bachelor Bah settled in Slavia". iDNES.cz. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
24. "Slavia - Feyenoord 1:3. Prague finish in KL, Mandous made a fatal mistake". iSport.cz (in Czech). 3 June 2022.
25. "Alexander Bah is a Benfica player!". S.L. Benfica. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
26. "Águias Confirmam Contratação de Bah" [Eagles confirm Bah's signing] (in Portuguese). A Bola. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
27. "Rafa bisa frente ao Arouca". A Bola. 5 August 2022.
28. "A. Bah - Profile". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
29. "Wind og Bah sikrer dansk 2-0 sejr over Sverige". Danish Football Association (in Danish). 11 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020. Et flot dansk angreb med mange afleveringer – og hvor den svenske defensiv nærmest virkede rundtossede – var Wind, Mæhle og Damsgaard de afgørende spilstationer, inden debutanten Alexander Bah afsluttede angrebet med en stensikker scoring. Flot angreb, flot afslutning!
30. "Alexander Bah: The Answer to Benfica's Right-Back Woes?". Breaking The Lines. 22 June 2022.
31. Alexander Bah at National-Football-Teams.com
32. "SønderjyskE vinder Sydbank Pokalen efter dramatisk finale". TV3 Sport (in Danish). 1 July 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
33. "Návrat ztracených synů! Souček, Coufal, Král či Škoda budou čestnými hosty při předání poháru Slavii". Ruik. 22 May 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
34. "Viktoria Plzen vs. Slavia Praha". Soccerway. 20 May 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
35. Kundert, Tom (27 May 2023). "Benfica crowned champions of Portugal". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
36. Vaza, Marco (9 August 2023). "Benfica soube mudar para ganhar a Supertaça". Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 August 2023.

External links

• Profile at the S.L. Benfica website