Frederik Rönnow

"I don't know what the deal is with Lukas and me," joked Frederik Rönnow after succeeding Lukas Hradecky at a club for the third time when he joined Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer of 2018. Having previously replaced Hradecky at Esbjerg fB and Bröndby IF, the Denmark international is now hoping to fill the void left by the Finnish custodian at Eintracht. 

The two goalkeepers get on well with one another, despite having very different personalities. "I'm not as big a fan of beer as Lukas," said Rönnow. "But I enjoy listening to music in my spare time, playing the piano and cooking." The pair have one other thing in common – both are domestic cup winners. Hradecky helped Eintracht win the DFB Cup in 2017/18, while Rönnow was part of the Bröndby team that lifted the Danish Cup that same season. 

Eintracht's new stopper was unable to train with his team-mates on a regular basis during the Eagles' training camp in Gais due to knee problems, but the Horsens native took advantage of the time in South Tyrol to get to know his new colleagues. "A lot of the players speak English, which is good for me," he says. "The team spirit here is great too." 

Rönnow describes himself as a modern goalkeeper who likes to help build attacks from the back. "I don't really like talking about myself, though," said the Dane, who prefers issuing instructions to his team-mates during games. "That's why I made Jan Zimmermann teach me a few commands in German, such as 'left', 'right', 'time', and so on,” he added. "I'm practising and I'll get there in due course." 

Speaking of time, Rönnow has not yet had the opportunity to explore Frankfurt properly since arriving in Germany. "After returning from my post-World Cup holiday I've been at the training ground from morning until late," said the keeper, who is due to move to Frankfurt permanently with his girlfriend in the near future. He won't be moving into Hradecky's old house, though. "Guarding his former goal is enough for me," he said with a smile, proving that he also shares a similar sense of humour to his Finnish predecessor.