Morten Frendrup

Morten Wetche Frendrup (Danish pronunciation: [ˈfʁɑnˀtʁɔp]; born 7 April 2001) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or full-back for Serie A club Genoa and the Denmark national team.

Frendrup was born in Tuse and played youth football with Tuse IF and Holbæk B&I before starting his professional career with Brøndby IF, where he became the youngest player to debut for the club. He became an established player under manager Niels Frederiksen and was part of the title-winning team of 2020–21. His performances earned him a move to Serie A club Genoa in February 2022.

Morten Wetche Frendrup was born on 7 April 2001 in Tuse, Holbæk Municipality, where he also grew up. He is the third and youngest child of Marianne Wetche, a teacher, and Jan Frendrup, a real estate agent and part-time board member of the local sports club Tuse IF. He has one older brother, Lasse, and an older sister, Kristine.

Frendrup started playing for local team Tuse IF before moving to Holbæk B&I. During this time he also joined the Brøndby IF academy at the under-14 level, playing for both clubs for a short period. When Frendrup finished primary education, he began attending Brøndby Idræts efterskole, a five-minute walk from the Brøndby IF training ground.

Frendrup won the Danish under-15 Cup on 11 May 2016 in a 1–0 victory against FC Nordsjælland. At under-17 level, he captained the team to a second-place finish in the league behind winners AGF.

At the age of 16 in summer 2017, Frendrup was included in the first-team training camp in Austria together with fellow academy players Christian Enemark and Andreas Bruus. In December 2017, he signed a new contract with Brøndby, keeping him in the club until the summer of 2020.

At the age of 16 on 11 February 2018, Frendrup made his senior debut in a 3–1 victory against Lyngby Boldklub in the Danish Superliga. He was brought on as a substitute in the 85th minute, becoming the youngest player to appear for Brøndby, 37 days younger than second on the list, Magnus Warming. On 15 March 2018, Frendrup signed his first professional contract, keeping him at the club until 2021.

During the 2019–20 season, Frendrup started playing more regularly in the fall due to long-term injuries to starters Lasse Vigen, Simon Tibbling, and Josip Radošević. His performances during these games were praised, and he subsequently won the Brøndby Player of the Month award for November. On 12 January 2020, Frendrup signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract with Brøndby, running until 2023. He continued his strong performances in the second half of the season and was named Superliga Talent of the Month for June 2020, as well as Brøndby Player of the Month for June and July.