In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, Brentford's Christian Norgaard explains the ups and downs of his own journey to the Premier League and why he hopes his involvement in the Tonsser app will provide second chances for talented youngsters
Wednesday 2 February 2022 11:55, UK
Brentford midfielder Christian Norgaard has first-hand knowledge of how serendipitous talent identification can be in football. He still recalls his now Denmark international team-mate Yussuf Poulsen going along with him to a trial game as a teenager.
Norgaard was already at Lyngby, a club renowned for youth development. Poulsen was playing for a minor club in Copenhagen at the time. He seized his chance.
"Yussuf played a fantastic game," Norgaard tells Sky Sports.
"He scored two or three goals and that was it. He joined Lyngby and fought his way through to the first team. The rest is history.
"If he had not shown up in that game, who knows what would have happened. I am sure he has a lot of resilience and would probably have made it anyway. But it is those small moments in your career that define where you end up."
It is examples such as this one that have encouraged Norgaard to become involved with Tonsser, the app that is helping to provide opportunities for those missed by the system.
It was set up in 2014 by two tech-savvy students from Copenhagen with a vision to bring the professional experience to the game's millions of unsigned amateur players.
Since then, it has grown so much that co-founder Peter Holm has ambitions for it to become the world's biggest 'club'. Players capture their games on video, log goals and assists, as well as picking out the three best players from each match.
The wisdom of crowds is enough to tease out the best talent. Since Tonsser United was formed to play in trial games and tournaments, half a million players have applied to join. At the Vinci Cup in 2019, a Tonsser United U15 side drew with Paris Saint-Germain.
"It is really impressive, right, and I think it says a lot," says Norgaard.
"You have a number of players who did not get that first contract, they are hanging by a thread trying to make it as a football player. They give it everything in those tournaments, those trials, because that is their chance to get that contract somewhere.
"Whereas, you play against these youth players at big academies, I am not saying they are thinking they have already made it at 14, 15 or 16, but they are probably already looking at a big contract. Maybe they do not have the same motivation as the Tonsser players."
The unsigned talent is out there. Professional clubs have taken note.
Former Brentford sporting director Rasmus Ankersen, now at Southampton, recently became an investor. He was the one who encouraged Norgaard to do the same.
"I did not need a lot of meetings with Peter before I was ready to jump on board. I managed to get Yussuf to join me. It is fun to be a part of it. To give those tools, to create a different view on talent, not only in Denmark but around the world, is very interesting.
"I just find Tonsser a very interesting way of helping those people who don't get their first contract when they are 15. Especially here in England where there are so many rejects.
"Where do they go?"
Norgaard never found himself in that position but his career is instructive, nevertheless. His talent was enough to earn him a move to Hamburg at the age of 17. His experience there, where he spent two years before returning to Denmark, was a challenging one.
"The environment you are in is very important. How do you react to that? It depends a bit on what type of person you are. It is fascinating, I think. I am very reflective and at a young age I took a lot of things personally that a more experienced player might not have.
"Ten years ago in Germany, for example, that was a very tough environment to be in for a young 17-year-old Dane who was used to being more of a leader at the time.
"You come into an environment where you are just the rookie. People were criticising me in training and that hurt my self-confidence a lot. So it was hard for me to break through.
"The same was true in Italy."
After proving himself at Brondby, another opportunity came with Fiorentina. Norgaard made six appearances in Serie A but, once again, the environment was not right for him.
"You could say I should have learned from before but it is a different language so you cannot speak with people properly. You are sitting mostly alone at the dining table.
"It is not only the football, but also integrating into the environment in your private life. That is what makes you happy and that makes it easier to perform."
Success has come at Brentford, under a Danish coach. He is speaking in the wake of the signing of compatriot Christian Eriksen, perhaps the biggest signing in the club's history. "Quiet day, huh?" This is an environment that is bringing out the best in him.
"Both me and Brentford are doing well," he adds. "I am really happy where I am both football-wise and privately."
Now, the talent is shining through.
How many other players out there have drifted away from the game because the right opportunity did not come along? This is why Norgaard wants to be more than an investor. He envisages this as his chance to take on a unique role in youth development.
"That is what makes this business more interesting because you actually know something about the subject. With other investments you are looking at the yield or whatever. You can go hands on with this kind of thing because you have been through the whole thing.
"We are trying to set up a players' group where Peter and the board members can talk with us about different concepts. We can take on mentoring roles, talk to the young lads, do Zoom calls, watch the training session, maybe. Try to inspire young people."
And perhaps find his next Brentford team-mate? "Exactly!"
