Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

Southampton

On 11 July 2016, Højbjerg joined English club Southampton on a five-year deal for an estimated fee of £12.8 million. He made his debut in the Premier League on 13 August as the season began with a 1–1 home draw with Watford, coming on in the 55th minute in place of James Ward-Prowse. BBC Sport's Neil Johnston wrote that he "injected pace and urgency" into the Saints, "was not afraid to shoot and was hard-working". Although he played all five matches on the way to the 2017 EFL Cup Final, Højbjerg was an unused substitute in the match at Wembley, which Southampton lost 3–2 to Manchester United.

Højbjerg scored his first goal for the Saints in his 54th match on 18 March 2018, opening a 2–0 win at League One club Wigan Athletic in the sixth round of the FA Cup, the first match under new manager Mark Hughes. In December that year, Hughes' successor Ralph Hasenhüttl made him the Saints captain. However in June 2020, Hojbjerg was stripped of the captaincy after publicly speaking about his desire to leave the club, with Ward-Prowse replacing him as captain.

Tottenham Hotspur On 11 August 2020, Højbjerg joined Tottenham Hotspur on a five-year deal, for a reported initial fee of £15 million plus add-ons.

He made his debut on 13 September in a 1–0 home defeat by Everton. Despite this early setback, Højbjerg soon became a key member of José Mourinho's squad in the central defensive midfield position, earning wide praise for his performance in many games, as well as receiving a nomination as Premier League Player of the Month for November. On 28 January 2021, Højbjerg scored his first goal for Spurs in the Premier League with a 20-yard strike at a 3–1 home loss to Liverpool. He made the most appearances by a Premier League player in the 2020–21 season (3420 minutes).

On 1 November 2022, he scored a goal in the 95th minute in a 2–1 away win over Marseille, in which Tottenham Hotspur finished top of Group D in the 2022–23 Champions League season.

Marseille

On 22 July 2024, Højbjerg joined Marseille on loan for the 2024–25 season, with an "obligation that would see the move become permanent" for a fee reported to be about £17m. His debut came in Marseille's opening fixture of the 2024–25 Ligue 1 season, a 5–1 rout over Brest, in which he played a full 90 minutes. He scored the club's third goal in a 5–0 league victory over Montpellier on 20 October, his first for the club. Despite his limited time at the club, Højbjerg was named as one of the team captains by November.

On 31 May 2025, Højbjerg joined Marseille permanently from Tottenham Hotspur after his obligation-to-buy clause was activated.

International career Højbjerg was born in Denmark to a Danish father and French mother. He was called up to the Denmark senior side for the first time in May 2014 for friendlies against Hungary and Sweden and made his debut against Sweden on 28 May, playing the full 90 minutes.

On his third cap on 7 September 2014, Højbjerg scored his first international goal, equalising as Denmark began their UEFA Euro 2016 qualification campaign with a 2–1 win over Armenia in Copenhagen.

In May 2018, he was named in Denmark's preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, although he did not make the final 23.

Højbjerg was named in the Danish squad for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 in June 2021. In their opening match, a 1–0 loss to Finland, he missed a penalty; the game had been stopped and resumed due to Christian Eriksen's medical emergency.

Højbjerg was named captain of the Danish national team in August 2024, after Simon Kjær's international retirement.

Personal life Højbjerg was born in Copenhagen and grew up in the Østerbro district of the city. He is the second of three children. Højbjerg was introduced to football when he was five years old. Højbjerg's father Christian died of stomach cancer in April 2014, five days after his first start for Bayern.

Career statistics Club

International

As of match played 7 June 2026. Denmark's score listed first, score column indicates score after each Højbjerg goal. Bundesliga: 2012–13, 2013–14 DFB-Pokal: 2013–14 FIFA Club World Cup: 2013 UEFA Champions League: 2012–13SouthamptonEFL Cup runner-up: 2016–17 Tottenham HotspurEFL Cup runner-up: 2020–21 Individual' DBU's Talentpris 2011: Danish under-17 player of the year Spillerforeningen 2013: Danish talent of the year Danish Talent of the Year: 2014 UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2020 Danish Football Player of the Year: 2022