Jannik Vestergaard

Jannik Vestergaard (born 3 August 1992) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Leicester City and the Denmark national team.

Vestergaard played for various Danish and German clubs before joining Southampton in 2018. He also played for various youth levels and debuted for the senior team in 2013.

Early and personal life

Vestergaard was born to a Danish father and a German mother in the Copenhagen suburb of Hvidovre and grew up in Copenhagen.

His German grandfather Hannes Schröers and uncle Jan Schröers were also footballers for Fortuna Düsseldorf and Bayer 05 Uerdingen respectively. His cousin Mika Schröers played for Borussia Mönchengladbach's youth teams in 2016.

He has a girlfriend, Pernille, and a dog, Brady.

Club career

Youth career

Vestergaard played youth football with Vestia, Boldklubben Frem, Kjøbenhavns Boldklub and Brøndby.

Bundesliga

In 2010, Vestergaard left Denmark to sign for German club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. He would make his professional debut as a substitute for Ryan Babel in a Bundesliga fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt on 16 April 2011.

Vestergaard became an established starter during the 2011–12 season and scored his first goal in a 1–1 draw with SV Werder Bremen on 11 February 2012.

After four seasons at Hoffenheim, he moved to Werder Bremen in January 2015. He made his debut for Bremen in a 2–0 win over Hertha BSC on 1 February.

On 11 June 2016, Vestergaard joined Borussia Mönchengladbach for a reported transfer of €12 million plus bonuses. During his first season at Borussia, Vestergaard made his UEFA Champions League debut.

Southampton

Vestergaard moved to English club Southampton on 13 July 2018, signing a four-year contract. On 12 August 2018, he made his debut in a 0–0 draw against Burnley in the Premier League. He scored his first goal for the club on 31 August 2019, the equaliser in a 1–1 draw against Manchester United.

Leicester City

On 12 August 2021, it was announced that Southampton had accepted a transfer offer from Leicester City for Vestergaard. On 13 August 2021, he signed for Leicester City on a three-year contract, for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut for the club one day later in the opening weekend of the Premier League as a 62nd-minute substitute in a 1–0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

After making 19 appearances during his first season at Leicester, Vestergaard did not appear at all during the 2022–23 season, as the club was relegated from the Premier League. He was demoted to the reserves in March 2023 after giving an interview critical of manager Brendan Rodgers; Rodgers was sacked by the club a month later after a poor run of results left Leicester in the relegation zone.

Following relegation to the EFL Championship, Vestergaard established himself as a starting central defender for Leicester in their 2023–24 season under new manager Enzo Maresca. On 6 August 2023, he started Leicester's opening match of the Championship, a 2–1 home win over Coventry City. On 21 October, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 away win at Swansea City. On 7 June 2024, he extended his contract with the club until 2027.

International career

Youth level

Besides Denmark, Vestergaard was also eligible to represent Germany through his German mother.

Vestergaard represented the Denmark national youth teams at under-18, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels. He received his first call-up to the Denmark senior team in August 2013, describing it as his "dream" to play for the country, and he made his debut later that month in a match against Poland. His first goal for Denmark came in his first competitive game, against Sweden in the European Championship play-off return leg on 17 November 2015.

He represented the Denmark U21 team at the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in the Czech Republic, and scored in a 2–1 defeat of the host nation in the opening match at the Eden Arena in Prague.

Senior level

Vestergaard was a member of Denmark's squad at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, but did not make any appearances in the tournament.

In June 2021, he was included in the national team's bid for 2020 UEFA Euro, where the team reached the semi-finals.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 4 May 2024

International

As of match played 16 June 2024

Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Vestergaard goal.

Honours

Leicester City

• EFL Championship: 2023–24

References

External links

• Profile at the Leicester City F.C. website
• Jannik Vestergaard national team profile at the Danish Football Association (in Danish)