Raphael Canut Pedersen (born 31 March 2009) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Danish Superliga club Brøndby.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Raphael Canut Pedersen[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 31 March 2009 | ||
| Place of birth | Hvidovre, Denmark | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Brøndby | ||
| Number | 37 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2014–2021 | Hvidovre | ||
| 2021– | Brøndby | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2026– | Brøndby | 5 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024–2025 | Denmark U16 | 9 | (0) |
| 2025– | Denmark U17 | 14 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:27, 22 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 1 June 2026 | |||
Early life and career
editCanut began playing football at hometown club Hvidovre IF and was scouted by Brøndby IF at the age of 12. Brøndby academy director Bjørn Holm later said that Canut had not been a player sought by all the major Danish clubs at the time, owing to perceived weaknesses with the ball, but that the club had identified a defender with strong physical attributes and a defensive instinct.[2]
Club career
editCanut progressed through Brøndby's academy, known as Masterclass, and featured in the under-19 league during the 2025–26 season despite being an under-17 age player. He joined the first-team training camp in winter 2026 under head coach Steve Cooper.[3]
On 2 December 2025, Canut signed a contract extension with Brøndby until 31 December 2028.[4] He made his first-team debut on 18 April 2026, coming on as a substitute for Jordi Vanlerberghe with 17 minutes remaining in a 6–0 home win over Sønderjyske.[3][5] On 1 May 2026, aged 17 years and 32 days, Canut made his first start for Brøndby in a home league match against Nordsjælland, becoming the second-youngest player to start a first-team match in the club's history behind Oscar Schwartau. He played the full match in a 1–1 draw and thus surpassed the previous benchmark held by Brian Laudrup. His performance drew praise from Cooper and teammate Luis Binks.[6][7][8]
International career
editStyle of play
editA right-footed centre-back, Canut is noted for his physicality, aerial ability and aggressive defending. He made his first-team debut as a right-back although his natural position is centre-back. Comparisons in Danish media have been drawn with former Brøndby and Denmark international Daniel Agger, whom Canut shares both his Hvidovre roots and physical profile with.[2][3]
Personal life
editCareer statistics
edit- As of match played 21 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | Danish Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brøndby | 2025–26 | Danish Superliga | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2026–27 | Danish Superliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
- ↑ Appearance in Danish Superliga play-off
References
edit- ↑ Raphael Canut national team profile at the Danish Football Association (in Danish)
- 1 2 3 4 Dalgård, Jonas (9 May 2026). "Brøndby-komet overhaler Laudrup og sammenlignes med Agger" [Brøndby sensation overtakes Laudrup and is being compared to Agger]. TV 2 Sport (in Danish). Archived from the original on 10 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 Theilade, Toke (19 April 2026). "Stor ros til Raphael Canut: "Ekstremt talentfuld og moderne forsvarsspiller"" [High praise for Raphael Canut: 'An extremely talented and modern defender']. Vilfort Park (in Danish). Archived from the original on 22 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ↑ Karlsen, Nanna Møller (2 December 2025). "Masterclass: Raphael Canut forlænger med Brøndby IF" [Masterclass: Raphael Canut extends his contract with Brøndby IF]. 3point.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 10 December 2025. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- 1 2 Wehlast, Mads Glenn (18 April 2026). "Debutant-chok i Brøndby: Jeg fik 'blackout'" [Shock debut for Brøndby: I had a 'blackout']. Bold (in Danish). Archived from the original on 19 April 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ↑ Pfaff, Sebastian (1 May 2026). "BIF-startdebutant bliver historisk – overgår Laudrup" [BIF debutant makes history – surpasses Laudrup]. Campo (in Danish). Archived from the original on 22 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ↑ Ahlquist, Valdemar (2 May 2026). "Cooper hylder Brøndby-talent: En perfekt startdebut" [Cooper praises Brøndby talent: A perfect debut]. Bold (in Danish). Archived from the original on 22 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ↑ Bellaiche, Emil (1 May 2026). "Den nye Daniel Agger? 'Det er ikke fair'" [The new Daniel Agger? 'That's not fair']. Tipsbladet (in Danish). Archived from the original on 22 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
External links
edit- Raphael Canut national team profile at the Danish Football Association (in Danish)
- Raphael Canut at Soccerway