Mathias Ross

Mathias Ross

Personal information
Full name	Mathias Ross Jensen
Date of birth	(2001-01-15) 15 January 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth	Aalborg, Denmark
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Sparta Prague (on loan from Galatasaray)
Number	5
Youth career
2011–2013	Aalborg KFUM
2013–2018	AaB
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2022	AaB	92	(4)
2022–	Galatasaray	0	(0)
2023–2024	→ NEC (loan)	21	(2)
2024–	→ Sparta Prague (loan)	6	(0)
International career
2017–2018	Denmark U17	11	(0)
2018–2020	Denmark U19	17	(0)
2021	Denmark U20	2	(0)
2021–2022	Denmark U21	3	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 October 2024

Mathias Ross Jensen (born 15 January 2001) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Czech club Sparta Prague, on loan from Galatasaray. He is the older brother of Oliver Ross.

Club career

AaB Fodbold

Growing up in the Hasseris district of Aalborg, ^[1] Ross started his football career as a 10-year-old at Aalborg KFUM. ^[2] At under-13 level he joined the AaB youth academy. ^{[3] [1]} In his first year as a U17 player, other centre-backs were preferred ahead of Ross, which meant that he mainly appeared on the reserve team or as a substitute striker in the final minutes. ^[1] In his second U17 year, however, he became a regular player for the team in the U17 league. ^[1] AaB U17 finished the 2017–18 season in third place in the league table, ^[4] and in June 2018 he was named U17 Player of the Year in AaB. ^[1]

Ross made his professional debut for the AaB first team on 2 September 2018, when he came on as a substitute after 27 minutes for an injured Jakob Blåbjerg in a 2–2 draw against Randers FC. ^[5] At the time of the substitution, AaB were behind 2–1, and newspaper Tipsbladet described Ross' debut as "excellent". ^[1] A month later, in October 2018, he was permanently promoted to AaB's first team squad. ^[6] During the regular season he was used three times, but from the relegation round he established himself as a starter in the first team. AaB eventually qualified for the play-offs to participate in the first qualifying round for the UEFA Europa League, where they were, eliminated in the first round against AGF.

In January 2019, Ross signed a contract extension keeping him in AaB until 2023.

Galatasaray

On 8 September 2022, Ross signed a four-year contract with Galatasaray. ^[7] It was announced that a transfer fee of €1,750,000 would be paid to the player's former team, AaB. ^[8]

Ross became the champion in the Süper Lig in the 2022–23 season with Galatasaray. Defeating Ankaragücü 4–1 away in the match played on 30 May 2023, Galatasaray secured the lead with two weeks before the end and won the 23rd championship in its history. ^[9]

Loan to NEC Nijmegen

On 21 July 2023, Ross was loaned out to the Eredivisie club NEC for one season. ^[10] Accordingly, NEC Nijmegen would pay a temporary transfer fee of €250,000 to Galatasaray. ^[11]

Loan to Sparta Prague

On July 16, 2024, it was confirmed that Ross joined Sparta Prague, which had Ross' former AaB manager, Lars Friis, as manager, on a loan deal for the 2024-25 season, with a purchase option of around €1.2 million. ^{[12] [13]}

International career

Ross made his international debut on 7 October 2017 as part of the Denmark under-17 team, when he was part of the starting lineup and played 90 minutes in a 3–4 defeat to Germany in a friendly match. ^[14] He went from being a peripheral player under the auspices of the Danish Football Association (DBU) to being team captain in the last match during the 2017 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. ^{[15] [1]} He made 11 appearances for the national under-17 team. ^[16]

Ross made his first appearance for the Denmark under-19 team on 7 September 2018, and soon established himself as a starter. ^[16]

Career Statistics

Club

As of match played 31 August 2024 ^[17]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
AaB	2018-19	Danish Superliga	9	0	0	0	—		9	0
	2019-20	Danish Superliga	23	0	4	1	—		27	1
	2020-21	Danish Superliga	26	2	1	0	—		27	2
	2021-22	Danish Superliga	28	2	1	0	—		29	2
	2022-23	Danish Superliga	8	1	—		—		8	1
	Total		94	5	6	1	—		100	6
Galatasaray (loan)	2022-23	Süper Lig	0	0	2	1	—		2	1
NEC (loan)	2023-24	Eredivisie	21	2	4	0	—		25	2
Sparta Prague (loan)	2024-25	Czech First League	5	0	—		3 [lower-alpha 1]	1	8	1
Career Total			120	7	12	2	3	1	135	10

1. Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League

Honours

Galatasaray

• Süper Lig: 2022–23 ^[18]

NEC

• KNVB Cup: 2023–24 runner-up

References

1. "En mentalt robust gut fra Hasseris". Tipsbladet (in Danish). 7 September 2018. p. 6. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
2. Gammelgaard, Camilla (15 October 2017). "Mathias udlever sin fodbolddrøm". Nordjyske (in Danish). Retrieved 5 November 2020.
3. Krøll, Rasmus (9 October 2018). "AaB rykker 17-årig forsvarsspiller op i Superligatruppen". TV 2/Nord (in Danish). Retrieved 5 November 2020.
4. "Stilling - U/17 Ligaen 2017-18". Danish Football Association . Retrieved 5 November 2020.
5. Jensen, Claus (16 September 2018). "17-årig på spring: AaB-talent rusker op i hierarkiet". Nordjyske (in Danish). Retrieved 5 November 2020.
6. Krøll, Rasmus (9 October 2018). "Mathias Ross rykket op i AaB-truppen". Nordjyske (in Danish). Retrieved 5 November 2020.
7. "Galatasaray'a hoş geldin Mathias Ross Jensen!". Galatasaray S.K. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
8. "Mathias Ross Jensen Galatasaray'da!". Galatasaray S.K. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
9. "Turkish Super Lig: Galatasaray win title for 23rd time after beating Ankaragucu 4-1". BBC Sport. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
10. "N.E.C. huurt Mathias Ross van Galatasaray". NEC Nijmegen. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
11. "Mathias Ross, NEC Nijmegen Kulübü'ne kiralandı". Galatasaray S.K. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
12. "Přichází Mathias Ross" (in Czech). AC Sparta Prague. 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
13. Bech, Malthe (16 July 2024). "Officielt: Mathias Ross skifter til Sparta Prag". bold.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 16 July 2024.
14. "Danmark - Tyskland 3-4". Danish Football Association . Retrieved 5 November 2020.
15. "Danmark - Belgien 0-1". Danish Football Association . Retrieved 5 November 2020.
16. "Mathias Ross Jensen - DBU". Danish Football Association . Retrieved 5 November 2020.
17. Mathias Ross at Soccerway. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
18. "CUMHURİYETİN YÜZÜ, TÜRKİYE'NİN EN BÜYÜĞÜ, ŞAMPİYON GALATASARAY!". Galatasaray S.K. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.

External links

• Mathias Ross national team profile at the Danish Football Association (in Danish)