Two and a half years into his professional career, Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen already looks like a seasoned veteran on the pitch. Having returned from two years on loan at Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach, he’s only gone on to displace David Luiz from Chelsea starting lineup this season, lending real hope to the notion of a Chelsea Academy graduate finally making the leap from the youth teams to the first-team (via a loan or two) — the successor to John Terry in more ways than one.
On the back of these performances, the 21-year-old has been picked for the third straight year as the Danish Talent of the Year — a first in the history of the award.
Andreas Christensen vinder Årets Mandlige Talent 2017. Det er tredje år i træk, at @ABChristensen96 fra @ChelseaFC vinder prisen, hvilket aldrig tidligere er sket. Det er spillerne selv, der har stemt.
— Spillerforeningen (@Spillerforening) January 4, 2018
Læs mere og se tidligere vindere: https://t.co/zGDw6J9o36#CFC #sldk pic.twitter.com/IS8z2axdOm
The award, recognizing the best Danish player aged 21 or under, has been given out by Denmark’s Players’ Association since 1999. Before Christensen’s “hat-trick”, former Bayern Munich and now Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg won the award two times. Tottenham attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen was also a two-time winner, collecting it in 2010 and 2011 during his time at Ajax Amsterdam.
And there is still time for Christensen to collect more individual prizes, as the Players’ Association is set to reveal their Player of the Year this Saturday. But even if he does not join Eden Hazard and N’Golo Kanté in the line of players reaping national praise, being the recipient of the U21 version of his nation’s award for a record third straight year is certainly a fantastic feat for a player who looks set for stardom.
Congratulations, Andreas!