Jannik Vestergaard (born 3 August 1992) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.
Vestergaard played for various Danish and German clubs, before joining Southampton in 2018. After moving to fellow English side Leicester City in 2021, he won promotion to the Premier League with the club in the 2023–24 season. After spending five seasons with the club, he left the club in July 2026, later retiring from professional football in October aged 34.
At international level, Vestergaard represented Denmark at various youth levels, before debuting for the senior side in 2013. He was included in the Danish squads for two UEFA European Championships (2020 and 2024) and one FIFA World Cup (2018), earning 59 appearances before retiring from the national team in 2026.
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.
TSG Hoffenheim In 2010, Vestergaard left Denmark to sign for German Bundesliga club TSG 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 for Hoffenheim during the 2011–12 season, scoring his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw with Werder Bremen on 11 February 2012.
Werder Bremen
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.
Borussia Mönchengladbach 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, 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, he officially signed for Leicester on a three-year contract, for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut for the club the following day 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, and Vestergaard would be reconsidered as a member of the team.
Following their first season back in 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.
On 16 July 2026, it was announced that Leicester had terminated Vestergaard's contract by mutual agreement.
Retirement On 2 October 2026, Vestergaard announced his retirement from professional football, citing a lack of motivation to continue playing.
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, Vestergaard was included in the 26-man Denmark squad for UEFA Euro 2020, where the team reached the semi-finals.
Following Denmark's failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Vestergaard announced his retirement from international football on 17 April 2026.
Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cup League cupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsTSG Hoffenheim2010–11Bundesliga10———102011–12Bundesliga23230——2622012–13Bundesliga16010—201902013–14Bundesliga25140——2912014–15Bundesliga6111——72Total714910020825Werder Bremen2014–15Bundesliga15110——1612015–16Bundesliga33251——383Total483610000544Borussia Mönchengladbach2016–17Bundesliga34450—1004942017–18Bundesliga32320—00343Total6677000100837Southampton2018–19Premier League2302010—2602019–20Premier League1912000—2112020–21Premier League3032000—323Total724601000794Leicester City2021–22Premier League1001030602002022–23Premier League001020—302023–24Championship4222000—4422024–25Premier League1800010—1902025–26Championship3131000—323Total10155060601185Career total358233327018041625
International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsDenmark20131020141020153120167020173020182020190020203020211102022412023202024141202580Total593
Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Vestergaard goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Jannik VestergaardNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 17 November 2015 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark 2–2 2–2 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying2 26 March 2022 Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands 1–1 2–4 Friendly3 8 June 2024 Brøndby Stadium, Brøndbyvester, Denmark 2–0 3–1 Friendly
Honours Leicester City EFL Championship: 2023–24
Individual PFA Team of the Year: 2023–24 Championship
References
External links
Profile at the Leicester City F.C. website