Anton Skipper

Anton Skipper Hendriksen (; born 31 March 2000) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Danish 1st Division club Esbjerg fB. He has been capped for Denmark at youth level.

Early and personal life The family of Skipper is originally from Lolland, but he was born and raised in Vestegnen, Greater Copenhagen. When he went to primary school, he skipped second grade which he meant contributed to him becoming mature from an early age. After playing in the youth of Hvidovre IF for a few years, As an under-19 player, German club VfL Wolfsburg showed interest in signing him to their youth academy, but a move never materialised.

On 30 November 2019, Brøndby announced that Skipper would become a permanent part of the first team in the spring of 2019. Concomitantly, he signed his first professional contract which would keep him in the club until 2021.

On 28 July 2019, Skipper made his competitive debut with a start in the Danish Superliga match against OB which ended with a 3–2 win for Brøndby. His performance was subsequently praised by pundits. Since his debut in week three of the Danish Superliga, he played each match until Brøndby signed free agent Andreas Maxsø in mid-September. Despite assuming a new role as a substitute, Skipper was still recognised and lauded by the fans of the club. On 22 January 2020, Skipper signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract with Brøndby, running until 2023.

Loan to Hobro On 29 January 2021, Skipper was loaned out to Danish 1st Division club Hobro on a six-month deal. He made his debut for the club on 13 February in a 1–1 draw against HB Køge.

Return to Brøndby Upon his return to Brøndby for the 2021–22 season, Skipper began making more appearances due to the departure of regular starters Hjörtur Hermannsson and Anthony Jung. He made his European debut on 17 August 2021 in the UEFA Champions League play-off first leg against Red Bull Salzburg, which ended in a 2–1 loss.

Sarpsborg 08 On 24 January 2022, Skipper signed a three-year contract with Norwegian Eliteserien club Sarpsborg 08. He made his competitive debut for the club on 3 April, coming off the bench in the 36th minute for injured Magnar Ødegaard and putting on a convincing performance despite a 1–0 loss at home to Viking in the 2022 season opener. The following week, he was a starter at centre-back alongside Bjørn Inge Utvik in a 3–2 away victory against Kristiansund.

On 30 September 2023, Skipper scored his first competitive senior goal, netting the opener in Sarpsborg’s reserve team’s 3–0 win over Skånland OIF in the Norwegian Third Division.

Esbjerg fB On 2 September 2024, newly promoted Danish 1st Division club Esbjerg fB announced the signing of Skipper on a contract running until June 2027. He made his debut two days later, starting in a 3–1 away win over Vejgaard in the Danish Cup. Reflecting on the match, he described the closing stages as "too exciting" after completing his first full 90 minutes for the club.

He scored his first goal for Esbjerg on 29 March 2025, heading in a Jakob Ankersen corner after 14 minutes to open the scoring in a 3–0 away win against his former youth club Hvidovre at the Pro Ventilation Arena.

International career Skipper has won two caps for Denmark at U19 level, and has played multiple matches for national youth teams at different levels.

Career statistics