Mathias Jørgensen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mathias Jørgensen

Jørgensen playing for RSC Anderlecht in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Mathias Jattah-Njie Jørgensen
Date of birth	(1990-04-23) 23 April 1990 (age 35)
Place of birth	Copenhagen, Denmark
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back, right-back
Team information
Current team	LA Galaxy
Number	5
Youth career
1994–2007	B.93
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2007–2012	Copenhagen	92	(6)
2012–2014	PSV Eindhoven	14	(2)
2013–2014	Jong PSV	7	(1)
2014–2017	Copenhagen	93	(4)
2017–2019	Huddersfield Town	62	(3)
2019–2021	Fenerbahçe	18	(2)
2020	→ Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan)	9	(0)
2020–2021	→ Copenhagen (loan)	26	(1)
2021–2024	Brentford	40	(2)
2024–2025	Anderlecht	17	(0)
2025–	LA Galaxy	6	(0)
International career
2006	Denmark U16	1	(0)
2006–2007	Denmark U17	3	(0)
2007	Denmark U18	1	(0)
2008–2012	Denmark U21	15	(1)
2008–2024	Denmark	37	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:28, 9 April 2025 (UTC)

Mathias Jattah-Njie Jørgensen (born on April 23, 1990) is a Danish professional footballer. He is often called by his nickname Zanka. Mathias plays as a defender, usually in the middle (a centre-back) or on the right side (a right-back). He currently plays for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy.

Mathias Jørgensen started his football journey at his childhood club, FC Copenhagen. He played there for five seasons in the top Danish league. In 2012, he moved to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands. After two seasons, he returned to FC Copenhagen. In 2017, he joined Premier League club Huddersfield Town. Later, he played for Fenerbahçe and then returned to the Premier League with Brentford in 2021.

Before playing for the senior national team, Mathias represented Denmark at various youth levels. He made his first appearance for the Danish national team when he was 18 years old in November 2008.

Playing for Clubs

Early Career at FC Copenhagen

Mathias Jørgensen was born to a Danish mother and a Gambian father. He joined FC Copenhagen from a nearby club called B.93. He was already playing in first-team matches at B.93 when he was just 16. He signed a three-year contract with FC Copenhagen on June 26, 2007. Before joining them, he even had a trial with Arsenal for a week.

Mathias had a small injury to his knee shortly after joining FC Copenhagen. But he was back playing for the reserve team by September. His first game for the main team was on September 26, 2007, in a cup match. He came on as a substitute in a 3-1 win. A few days later, he played his first game in the Danish Superliga. He even played in a UEFA Cup match, helping his team keep a clean sheet despite a teammate getting a red card.

In November 2008, he played his first game for the Denmark national football team. He became captain for FC Copenhagen when Roland Nilsson became the manager. In February 2012, it was announced that Mathias would move to the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven.

Time at PSV Eindhoven

Mathias joined PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2012. He even scored his first goal for PSV in a friendly game. However, he found it hard to get a regular spot in the team. He played only 14 matches for the club over two years.

Back to FC Copenhagen

On July 7, 2014, Mathias Jørgensen returned to his old team, FC Copenhagen. He played there for several more successful seasons.

Playing for Huddersfield Town

Jørgensen playing for Huddersfield Town in 2018

On July 7, 2017, Huddersfield Town signed Mathias from FC Copenhagen. He signed a three-year contract. He played 65 games for Huddersfield Town during his two seasons there. The club was relegated to the Championship after the 2018–19 season.

Moving to Fenerbahçe and Loans

After Huddersfield Town was relegated, Mathias joined Fenerbahçe in Turkey on August 10, 2019. He then went on loan to Fortuna Düsseldorf in Germany for part of the 2019–20 season. On October 5, 2020, he returned to FC Copenhagen again on loan until the end of the 2020–21 season.

Joining Brentford

On September 9, 2021, Mathias Jørgensen joined Premier League club Brentford on a one-year contract. He played 10 games and scored one goal during the 2021–22 season, even though he had some injuries.

After his contract ended in June 2022, Brentford allowed him to continue training with them. This helped him recover from an injury and find a new club. In July 2022, he joined their training camp. On August 22, 2022, he signed a new one-year contract with Brentford.

Playing for Anderlecht

On August 15, 2024, Mathias joined Belgian Pro League club Anderlecht on a one-year deal. He made his first appearance for Anderlecht on August 17, 2024. He started the game and even helped set up a goal in their 3-1 win.

Joining LA Galaxy

On January 15, 2025, Mathias Jørgensen signed a two-year contract with the Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy.

Playing for His Country

In May 2018, Mathias was chosen for Denmark's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. In a match against Croatia, he scored the first goal very early in the game. Later, he made a foul in the penalty area to stop Croatia from scoring, which led to a penalty kick. The Danish goalkeeper saved the penalty, keeping the score tied. However, Denmark eventually lost the game in a penalty shootout.

In May 2021, he was part of Denmark's team for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, where Denmark reached the semi-finals. He was also selected for UEFA Euro 2024, where Denmark made it to the last 16.

About His Life

Mathias Jørgensen is known for his efforts to promote fairness and inclusion in football. In 2016, he wrote an article for the Danish Football Player’s Association about making football welcoming for everyone. In 2017, he donated a large sum of money to help start a campaign called "Fodbold for alle" (which means "Football for all"). He also visited schools to talk about the importance of treating everyone equally in sports.

Mathias married Nanna Ottosen in April 2022. They have a son, who was born in October 2021.

His Nickname "Zanka"

Mathias got his nickname "Zanka" from the movie Cool Runnings. In the movie, one of the characters is named Sanka. His friend Johan Lange gave him the nickname in 2000 when they were playing football together at B.93. Johan Lange later became an assistant manager and technical director at FC Copenhagen when Mathias played there.

Honours and Awards

FC Copenhagen

• Danish Superliga: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2015–16, 2016–17
• Danish Cup: 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17

Individual Awards

• Players' Talent of the Year: 2008
• Arla Talent of the Year: 2008
• Arla U-19 National Team Talent of the Year: 2008
• F.C. Copenhagen Player of the Year: 2017

See also

In Spanish: Mathias Jørgensen para niños