Jannik Vestergaard

Jannik Vestergaard (born 3 August 1992) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back.

Vestergaard played for various Danish and German clubs, before joining Southampton in 2018. He most recently played for Leicester City, between 2021 and 2026.

At international level he represented Denmark at various youth levels, before debuting 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.

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.

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. 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, 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 7 June 2024, he extended his contract with the club until 2027. On 16 July 2026 the contract was terminated by mutual agreement.

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.

Following Denmark's failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Vestergaard announced his retirement from the national team on 17 April 2026.

Career statistics Club

International

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

Honours Leicester City EFL Championship: 2023–24

Individual PFA Team of the Year: 2023–24 Championship