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 Danish 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. Early career. Vestergaard played youth football with Vestia, Frem, Copenhagen and Brøndby. He began his senior career with German club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. He moved to Werder Bremen in January 2015. On 11 June 2016, Vestergaard joined Borussia Mönchengladbach for a reported transfer of €12 million plus bonuses. 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 equalizer 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. 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.