Mads Fenger

Mads Fenger

Fenger with Hammarby in 2022
Personal information
Full name	Mads Fenger Nielsen
Date of birth	(1990-09-10) 10 September 1990 (age 33)
Place of birth	Aarhus, Denmark
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) [1]
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Hammarby IF
Number	13
Youth career
0000–2006	Skovbakken
2007–2009	Randers Freja
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2017	Randers	223	(3)
2017–	Hammarby IF	160	(6)
International career‡
2009	Denmark U19	5	(0)
2011	Denmark U20	1	(0)
2009–2012	Denmark U21	15	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:27, 7 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 December 2020

Mads Fenger Nielsen (born 10 September 1990) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Hammarby IF in Allsvenskan. ^[2]

Having previously spent his entire senior career at Randers FC, Fenger holds the record for most first team appearances in the history of said club.

Early life

Mads Fenger grew up in Aarhus, Jutland and started his football career at local club IK Skovbakken. ^[3] In 2007, he joined Randers FC youth academy but soon started to play senior football with their reserve team Randers Freja.

Club career

Randers FC

Fenger with Randers FC in 2012

Fenger made his competitive debut for Randers in the 2008–09 season, making three appearances. ^[4]

During the 2009–10 season, Fenger formed a strong central-defence with Anders Egholm as part of a Randers-team that miraculously avoided relegation after being 13 points under the relegation-line half way through the season. Fenger and Randers ultimately ended up 10th and avoided relegation, in a season that has since been described as the most dramatic in the history of the club. ^[5]

The upcoming 2010–11 season, Fenger played 16 league games as Randers had a hard time following up on their results from the previous season. ^[1] Ultimately the club finished 11th, thus facing relegation to the Danish 1st Division. ^[6]

Staying with the club despite the relegation, Fenger, once again, played a vital part in a team that secured a second place in the Danish 1st Division and thereby earned a promotion to the Danish Superliga in the 2011–12 season. Fenger played a total of 25 league games throughout the campaign.

In the 2012–13 season, Fenger was a key player in the central defence, playing a total of 32 league games. The season ended with Randers securing a third place – the best league result in the history of the club. Fenger also helped the club to reach the final of the Danish Cup, where the team lost 0-1 to Esbjerg FB.

Following several strong seasons, Fenger was promoted to vice-captain of Randers during the 2014–15 season, marking his growing influence in the squad. Fenger played a total of 32 out of 33 league games, as Randers finished 4th in the league.

On August 16 2015, in a match against OB, Fenger made his 200th appearance the club, becoming only the second player in the club's history to reach this milestone.

In March 2016, Fenger was promoted to captain at Randers. ^[7]

He left the club at the end of the 2016–17 season. Fenger holds the record for most first team appearances in the history of said club, 262 across all competitions. ^[8]

Hammarby IF

2017

On 17 February 2017, Fenger agreed to join the Swedish Allsvenskan club Hammarby IF on a pre-contract. ^[9] The three year-deal came to effect on 15 July the same year, at the start of the summer transfer window. ^[10] Fenger made his competitive debut for the side on 17 July, playing the whole game in 3–0 loss against Elfsborg. ^[11] He quickly established himself as an important member in manager Jakob Michelsen's side, usually pairing up with compatriot Bjørn Paulsen in the central defence. ^[12] After making ten appearances for Hammarby, Fenger was ruled out for the remainder of the season following a serious groin injury, which he attracted in a 2–1 win against IFK Göteborg on 20 September. ^[13] Fenger went under the knife in October, with an expected return in early 2018. ^[14]

2018

In 2018, Fenger played 18 league games as the club finished 4th in the table. On 7 October, Fenger scored his first goal for Hammarby, from a spectacular free kick, in a 4–2 away win against Brommapojkarna. ^[15]

2019

In 2019, Fenger made 23 appearances in the league. Hammarby finished 3rd in the Allsvenskan table after eight straight wins at the end of the season. ^[16] On 24 December the same year, Fenger signed a new four-year contract with the club lasting until the end of 2023. ^[17]

2020

In 2020, a season postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fenger continued as a regular starter and played 28 league games, although the side disappointedly finished 8th in the Allsvenskan table. He featured in the first round of the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League against Puskás Akadémia (in a 3–0 win), before the club was eliminated from the tournament in the second round against Lech Poznań (in a 0–3 loss). ^{[18] [19]}

2021

On 30 May 2021, Fenger won the 2020–21 Svenska Cupen, the main domestic cup, with Hammarby through a 5–4 win on penalties (0–0 after full-time) against BK Häcken in the final, where he scored his attempt. ^{[20] [21]} He featured in all six games as the side reached the play-off round of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League, after eliminating Maribor (4–1 on aggregate) and FK Čukarički (6–4 on aggregate), where the club was knocked out by Basel (4–4 on aggregate) after a penalty shoot-out, in which Fenger scored his attempt. ^{[22] [23] [24] [25]}

On 23 September 2021, in a 3–0 home win against IFK Göteborg, Fenger made his 100th league appearance for Hammarby. ^[26] He ended the 2021 season making 29 league appearances for Hammarby, that finished 5th in Allsvenskan. ^[2]

2022

Fenger featured in the final of the 2021–22 Svenska Cupen, in which Hammarby lost by 4–5 on penalties to Malmö FF after the game ended in a 0–0 draw. ^{[27] [28]} In the league, Fenger made 26 appearances, scoring once, helping his side to finish 3rd in the 2022 Allsvenskan table. ^[2]

2023

On 2 April 2023, he was appointed as the new vice-captain of the club, behind Nahir Besara. ^[29] At the end of the season, on 3 November 2023, Fenger signed a new two-year contract with Hammarby. ^[30] Throughout the campaign, Fenger made 23 league appearances in Allsvenskan, although Hammarby disappointedly finished 7th in the table. ^[2]

Career statistics

Club

As of 31 March 2024 ^[31]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Randers FC	2008–09	Danish Superliga	3	0	0	0	—		3	0
	2009–10		25	0	1	0	6 [lower-alpha 1]	0	32	0
	2010–11		16	0	2	0	5 [lower-alpha 1]	0	23	0
	2011–12	Danish 1st Division	25	1	1	0	—		26	1
	2012–13	Danish Superliga	32	0	6	0	—		38	0
	2013–14		29	2	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	32	1
	2014–15		32	0	4	1	—		36	1
	2015–16		32	0	2	0	4 [lower-alpha 1]	0	38	0
	2016–17		29	0	3	0	—		32	0
	Total		223	3	20	1	17	0	260	4
Hammarby IF	2017	Allsvenskan	10	0	1	0	—		11	0
	2018		19	2	0	0	—		19	2
	2019		23	1	4	2	—		27	3
	2020		28	1	3	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	33	1
	2021		29	1	7	1	6 [lower-alpha 2]	0	42	2
	2022		26	1	7	1	—		33	2
	2023		23	0	4	0	2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	29	0
	2024		1	0	2	0	—		3	0
	Total		159	6	28	4	10	0	197	10
Career total			381	9	48	5	27	0	456	14

1. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
2. Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

Honours

Hammarby IF

• Svenska Cupen: 2020–21

References

1. "Profile: M. Fenger". Soccerway. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
2. "Mads Fenger Nielsen". Swedish Football Association . Retrieved 6 March 2023.
3. ""Lättare att vara runt danskar"". Aftonbladet. 16 July 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
4. "Randers FC - Op på hesten igen". Inkast. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
5. "Miraklet og en legendarisk nat i Randers". Tipsbladet. 20 December 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
6. "Esbjerg og Randers rykker ned" (in Danish). Danmarks Radio. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
7. "Mads Fenger ny Randers-anfører" (in Danish). Bold. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
8. "En legende fylder rundt" (in Danish). Randers FC. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
9. "Mads Fenger forlader Randers FC til sommer" (in Danish). Randers FC. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
10. "Mads Fenger klar för Bajen – ansluter i juli". Hammarby Fotboll. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
11. "IF Elfsborg - Hammarby, Allsvenskan, 2017-07-17, 19:00". Hammarby Fotboll. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
12. "Johan Wiland hylder Paulsen og Fenger". Bold. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
13. "Mads Fengers skada håller honom ur spel resten av säsongen". Hammarby Fotboll. 21 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
14. "Lyckad operation för Mads Fenger". Hammarby Fotboll. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
15. "Bajen gick segrande ur holmgången i Vällingby". Hammarby Fotboll. 7 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
16. "Åtta raka räckte inte – lilla silvret till Bajen" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
17. "Hammarby förlänger med Mads Fenger". Hammarby Fotboll. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
18. "Hammarby 3 – 0 Puskás Akadémia". UEFA . Retrieved 18 March 2021.
19. "Hammarby 0 – 0 Lech". UEFA . Retrieved 12 May 2021.
20. "Hammarby cupvinnare efter straffdrama" (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
21. "Historisk och dramatisk cupfinalseger mot Häcken" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
22. "Maribor 0 – 1 Hammarby". UEFA . Retrieved 30 August 2021.
23. "Hammarby 5 – 1 Čukarički". UEFA . Retrieved 30 August 2021.
24. "Hammarby 3 – 1 Basel". UEFA . Retrieved 30 August 2021.
25. "Ett slut att glömma efter 210 minnesvärda minuter" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
26. "Köp och läs Göteborgsprogrammet!" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
27. "Straffar gav MFF första cupguldet på 33 år" (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
28. "Bajen golvat från elva meter i titelmatchen" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
29. "Årets lagkaptener utsedda" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 2 April 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
30. "Hammarby förlänger med Mads Fenger" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
31. "Mads Fenger". Soccerway. Retrieved 29 July 2021.

External links

• Mads Fenger national team profile at the Danish Football Association (in Danish)
• Mads Fenger official Danish Superliga statistics at danskfodbold.com (in Danish)