Mads Bech Sørensen

Mads Bech Sørensen (; born 7 January 1999), sometimes known as Mads Bech, is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for and captains Danish Superliga club Midtjylland.

Bech began his career in his native Denmark with Horsens and transferred to Brentford in 2017. Largely a fringe player during six years in England, he returned to Denmark to join Midtjylland in 2023. Bech was capped by Denmark at youth level.

Club career AC Horsens A left-sided central defender, before transferring to the academy at AC Horsens in 2011. After progressing through the youth ranks, he won his maiden call into the first team squad for a 1st Division match versus HB Køge on 3 May 2015. He made five further appearances during the remainder of the 2014–15 season and signed a new two-year contract on 9 June 2015.

Over the course of the 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons, Bech continued to make a handful of appearances a season, mostly as a substitute, even after Horsens' promotion to the Superliga in 2016. Bech made 10 appearances during the 2016–17 season and scored his first senior goal with a consolation in a 3–1 DBU Pokalen last-16 defeat to AGF Aarhus on 15 March 2017. just two days after his final appearance for the club.

Bech was promoted to the first team squad for the 2018–19 season and made his debut for the club with a start in an EFL Cup first round match versus Southend United on 14 August 2018. After returning to fitness, a knee injury suffered in October kept Bech out of action for months.

2019–20 season and loan to AFC Wimbledon A medial collateral ligament injury suffered prior to Brentford's first friendly of the 2019–20 pre-season kept Bech out until late September 2019. He resumed his involvement with the first team squad in November 2019 and made two appearances before signing a new -year contract (which included the option of a further year) in January 2020.

Down the Brentford defensive pecking order, Bech joined League One club AFC Wimbledon on loan until the end of the 2019–20 season on 9 January 2020. Bech made 9 appearances and helped the Dons to avoid relegation to League Two. which ended with defeat in the 2020 Championship play-off final.

2020–21 season After beginning the 2020–21 season restricted to EFL Cup appearances, Bech became the first team's throw-in specialist. at which time he dropped out of the starting lineup. He was awarded a promotion medal in recognition of his contribution during the regular season.

2021–22 season Bech returned fit for Brentford's 2021–22 pre-season and began the regular season fourth in the central defensive pecking order behind Pontus Jansson, Ethan Pinnock and new signing Kristoffer Ajer.

Bech returned to the matchday squad in late November 2021 and had to wait until 22 December to make his comeback, with a start in a 2–0 EFL Cup quarter-final defeat to Chelsea.

2022–2023 and loans to Nice and Groningen

Despite injuries to Ethan Pinnock, Kristoffer Ajer, Charlie Goode and with Zanka yet to sign a new contract, Bech began the 2022–23 season as third-choice centre back, behind Pontus Jansson and new signing Ben Mee. Aside from two friendly appearances during a December 2022 training camp, Bech failed to make a competitive appearance for the club and was recalled by Brentford on 1 January 2023.

Following two appearances back with Brentford, the one-year option on Bech's contract was taken up and on 18 January 2023 he joined Eredivisie club Groningen on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season. Bech's 11 appearances failed to prevent the club's relegation to the Eerste Divisie.

Despite a near-full involvement in the 2023–24 pre-season match programme, Bech was absent from Brentford's early regular-season squads and he departed the club on 1 September 2023. During six years with Brentford, he made 72 appearances and scored four goals. He made 27 appearances and scored a season-high four goals during the Superliga championship-winning 2023–24 season. In July 2024, Bech was named as club captain.

Bech made 49 appearances during the 2024–25 season, scoring one goal.

He was promoted into the U19 squad in January 2017 and made two appearances during the remainder of the 2016–17 season. in which he made two appearances. He started each of Denmark's group matches and scored in a 2–0 win over Iceland U21 on 28 March 2021.

On 24 May 2022, Bech won his maiden call-up to the senior team when he was named in the initial 29-man squad for four 2022–23 Nations League A matches in June 2022. He was cut from the final 26-man selection. Danish Superliga

2017–18 Championship

2018–19 Championship

2019–20 Championship

2020–21 Championship

2021–22 Premier League

2022–23 Premier League

AFC Wimbledon (loan)

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Honours Brentford EFL Championship play-offs: 2021

Individual UEFA European U21 Championship Squad of the Tournament: 2021