Jannik Vestergaard facts for kids
Vestergaard with Leicester City in 2024
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 August 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Hvidovre, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.99 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Leicester City | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Vestia | |||
| Frem | |||
| Copenhagen | |||
| Brøndby | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2010–2011 | TSG Hoffenheim II | 22 | (4) |
| 2011–2015 | TSG Hoffenheim | 71 | (4) |
| 2015–2016 | Werder Bremen | 48 | (3) |
| 2016–2018 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 66 | (7) |
| 2018–2021 | Southampton | 72 | (4) |
| 2021– | Leicester City | 66 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2010 | Denmark U18 | 4 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | Denmark U19 | 7 | (0) |
| 2011 | Denmark U20 | 2 | (0) |
| 2011–2015 | Denmark U21 | 28 | (4) |
| 2013– | Denmark | 51 | (3) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Jannik Vestergaard (born August 3, 1992) is a professional footballer from Denmark. He plays as a strong defender, called a centre-back, for the Premier League club Leicester City. He also plays for the Denmark national team.
Vestergaard has played for several clubs in Denmark and Germany. Before joining Southampton in 2018, he played in the German Bundesliga. He also represented Denmark at different youth levels before joining the senior national team in 2013.
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Early Life and Family
Jannik Vestergaard was born in Hvidovre, a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark. His father is Danish, and his mother is German. He grew up in Copenhagen.
Football runs in his family! His German grandfather, Hannes Schröers, and his uncle, Jan Schröers, were also professional footballers. His cousin, Mika Schröers, played for Borussia Mönchengladbach's youth teams.
Jannik has a girlfriend named Pernille and a dog named Brady.
Club Career Highlights
Youth Football Journey
Vestergaard started his football journey playing for youth teams like Vestia, Boldklubben Frem, Kjøbenhavns Boldklub, and Brøndby. These clubs helped him develop his skills from a young age.
Playing in Germany's Bundesliga
In 2010, Jannik moved from Denmark to Germany to join the club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. He made his first professional appearance in a Bundesliga match on April 16, 2011.
He quickly became a regular player during the 2011–12 season. He scored his first goal for Hoffenheim in a 1–1 draw against SV Werder Bremen in February 2012.
After four seasons with Hoffenheim, he moved to Werder Bremen in January 2015. He played his first game for Bremen in a 2–0 win against Hertha BSC in February.
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In June 2016, Vestergaard joined Borussia Mönchengladbach. The transfer was reported to be around €12 million. During his first season with Borussia, he got to play in the UEFA Champions League for the first time, which is a very exciting competition!
Time at Southampton
Vestergaard moved to the English club Southampton on July 13, 2018. He signed a four-year contract with them. He made his first appearance for Southampton in a 0–0 draw against Burnley in the Premier League in August 2018.
He scored his first goal for Southampton on August 31, 2019. It was an important goal that helped his team draw 1–1 against Manchester United.
Joining Leicester City
On August 12, 2021, it was announced that Southampton had agreed to a transfer offer from Leicester City for Vestergaard. He officially signed with Leicester City on August 13, 2021, on a three-year contract.
He made his debut for Leicester City just one day later! He came on as a substitute in a 1–0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the start of the Premier League season.
During his first season at Leicester, he played in 19 matches. However, he did not play at all during the 2022–23 season. The club was unfortunately relegated from the Premier League that season.
After Leicester City moved down to the EFL Championship, Vestergaard became a key central defender for the team. This was during their 2023–24 season under their new manager, Enzo Maresca. He started Leicester's first Championship match on August 6, 2023, which was a 2–1 home win against Coventry City.
On October 21, he scored his first goal for Leicester City in a 3–1 away win against Swansea City. In June 2024, he extended his contract with the club until 2027, showing his commitment to the team.
International Career
Representing Denmark's Youth Teams
Jannik Vestergaard could have chosen to play for Germany because of his mother. However, he chose to represent Denmark. He played for Denmark's national youth teams at the under-18, under-19, under-20, and under-21 levels.
He received his first call-up to the Denmark senior team in August 2013. He said it was his "dream" to play for his country. He made his debut later that month in a match against Poland. His first goal for Denmark came in a competitive game against Sweden in a European Championship play-off match in November 2015.
He also played for the Denmark U21 team in the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He even scored a goal in their opening match against the host nation, Czech Republic.
Playing for the Senior National Team
Vestergaard was part of Denmark's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Although he was in the squad, he did not play in any matches during that tournament.
In June 2021, he was also included in the national team for the 2020 UEFA Euro tournament. The Danish team had a great run and reached the semi-finals, which was a fantastic achievement!
Honours and Achievements
Leicester City
- EFL Championship: 2023–24 (This means his team won the Championship league in the 2023–24 season!)
Individual Awards
- PFA Team of the Year: 2023–24 Championship (This award means he was chosen as one of the best players in the Championship league for that season!)
Images for kids
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Vestergaard with Leicester City in 2024
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Vestergaard training with Werder Bremen in 2015.
See also
In Spanish: Jannik Vestergaard para niños
