He was the player who silenced Wembley on the week he turned 21. Mikkel Damsgaard’s free-kick for Denmark in the Euro 2020 semi-final against England launched the midfielder to fame.
Imagine, at that moment, telling Damsgaard that his next career goal would have to wait for another three-and-a-half years – in September’s EFL Cup third-round tie for Brentford against Leyton Orient.
Now 24, the Danish midfielder has been on some journey since that Wembley moment. It includes a move to the Premier League from Sampdoria to Brentford in 2022 but it is only now – two-and-half-years later – that he is starting to show his worth.
Damsgaard currently sits fourth in the Premier League assists chart with eight, behind only Antonee Robinson, Bukayo Saka and Mohamed Salah.
His latest was a superb delivery for Kevin Schade’s header against Crystal Palace last weekend and another set-up against Tottenham this weekend, live on Sky Sports, would see him break Brentford’s club record for most assists in a Premier League season.
Sunday 2nd February 1:00pm
Kick off 2:00pm
But Damsgaard’s story is not a breakthrough one. Many have known his talents for some time. Even before his Wembley moment, his former manager at FC Nordsjaelland described him as the “greatest talent Denmark has produced since Michael Laudrup”. Unlucky if you are Christian Eriksen.
Damsgaard’s underlying story – not known by many in the Premier League audience – is a battle with rheumatoid arthritis while at Sampdoria. He was first diagnosed following some knee surgery six months after his Wembley moment – and that ruled him out for half a year.
The condition causes inflammation and pain in the joints and was a huge physical setback for the midfielder. Describing his symptoms after joining Brentford, he admitted his “mind was going faster than his legs could move” – and revealed earlier this season that he is still taking medication for it.
“I’d lost a lot of kilos, so I was very, very skinny,” he told Brentford’s club media in 2023. “I had confidence issues, and I didn’t have the same speed and power in my legs.
Damsgaard (left) admitted to being too skinny following his illness
The midfielder has undergone a physical transformation at Brentford
“I had to play a little smarter, and I played a lot worse than what I was capable of, because I wasn’t able to reach the level I wanted to.
“I was back, and I was playing without pain, but I couldn’t move the way I wanted to, and I didn’t have the confidence to try the same things.”
Despite missing so much football, Brentford and Thomas Frank still chose to move for him in the summer of 2022. “They’d done their research, spoken to my physios and knew everything that was going on with me,” said the midfielder about the move.
But such an acute problem takes time to recover from. Damsgaard’s first season at Brentford saw him play 26 times in the Premier League, mostly from the substitutes’ bench and without a goal or an assist.
Last season was meant to be the term where he kicked on, but the Dane went pretty much back to square one. Damsgaard was ruled out for four months with knee problems the issue once again.
The 24-year-old has now been injury free for just over a year – and it shows. There seems to be some power back in his legs.
Firstly, he is part of an aggressive Brentford midfield that is so hard to play against at times. He is one of the Premier League’s best pressers off the ball – and with club captain and compatriot Christian Norgaard next to him, it provides a base in the Brentford midfield.
Then comes the creative touch. His numerous assists are a nice blend between open play (6) and set-pieces (2). Summer-signing Fabio Carvalho, a £27.5m investment by the Bees, has barely got a kick in since moving from Liverpool. That is due to Damsgaard, who was rewarded with a new contract until 2030 earlier this month.
“After two years of relatively consistent training and a good environment – and with patience both ways – we are now seeing the fruit of the work,” said Bees boss Frank at the time of the announcement.
“He has been one of our best players this season; we are very dangerous when he is playing. But there is more to come from Mikkel.
“It has been half a season, now he needs to perform for a full season. We need to add layers, but I am happy with what he is doing.”
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Damsgaard produced a brilliant assist for Kevin Schade’s goal at Crystal Palace
Brentford have a history of not just spotting then offloading talent for big money, but also giving time to those who start slowly or struggle with injuries.
This season, Damsgaard epitomises all those themes but so do Keane Lewis-Potter, Nathan Collins and Schade. You can bet Rico Henry, Aaron Hickey, Igor Thiago and even the slow-starting Carvalho will too.
But if Damsgaard carries on with this momentum, he may be one of the next big-money talents through the exit door at Brentford to grander clubs.
Watch Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur live on Sky Sports’ Super Sunday this weekend from 1pm; kick-off 2pm
