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Danish footballer (born 2003) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rasmus Winther Højlund (Danish pronunciation: [ˈʁɑsmus ˈhʌjˌlɔnˀ];[4] born 4 February 2003) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the Denmark national team.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Rasmus Winther Højlund[1] | ||
Date of birth | [2] | 4 February 2003||
Place of birth | Copenhagen, Denmark | ||
Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[3] | ||
Position(s) | Striker | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Manchester United | ||
Number | 9 | ||
Youth career | |||
Hørsholm-Usserød | |||
Brøndby | |||
–2020 | Copenhagen | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2020–2022 | Copenhagen | 19 | (0) |
2022 | Sturm Graz | 18 | (9) |
2022–2023 | Atalanta | 32 | (9) |
2023– | Manchester United | 33 | (10) |
International career‡ | |||
2018–2019 | Denmark U16 | 10 | (1) |
2019 | Denmark U17 | 5 | (1) |
2021–2022 | Denmark U19 | 9 | (1) |
2022 | Denmark U21 | 3 | (0) |
2022– | Denmark | 20 | (7) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:40, 6 October 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:51, 15 October 2024 (UTC) |
Højlund graduated from Copenhagen's youth academy, making his first-team debut for the club aged 17 in October 2020. After scoring five goals in 32 appearances for Copenhagen, he joined Austrian club Sturm Graz in January 2022. Later that year, he was signed by Atalanta for €17 million.
Højlund played youth international football for Denmark from under-16 to under-21 level. He made his senior international debut in September 2022.
Højlund was born in Copenhagen[5] and grew up in Hørsholm, Capital Region.[6] He played youth football for HUI and Brøndby, before joining Copenhagen's youth system.[7] He made his professional debut for Copenhagen at the age of 17 on 25 October 2020.[8] During the 2021–22 season, he made his debut in European competitions, contributing five goals in the UEFA Europa Conference League across qualification rounds and the tournament proper.[9]
In January 2022, Højlund joined Austrian Bundesliga club Sturm Graz for a reported fee of €1.8 million.[10] He scored 12 goals in 21 games across all competitions during the remainder of the 2021–22 season and the start of the 2022–23 season.[9]
On 27 August 2022, Højlund signed with Serie A club Atalanta in a deal worth a reported €17 million.[9][10] He scored his first goal for Atalanta on 5 September in a 2–0 away win over Monza.[11] Initially confined to a substitute role at the beginning of the season, he carved out a place for himself in the squad due to the poor form and injuries of usual starter, Duván Zapata. In January 2023, he went on to deliver several convincing performances, notably scoring four goals in four consecutive games.[12][13]
On 29 July, Premier League side Manchester United agreed a deal to sign Højlund from Atalanta for an initial £64 million fee plus £8 million in performance related add-ons, with the player agreeing a five-year deal with the option of an extra year.[14] He was then announced officially as a United player on 5 August 2023, subject to international clearance.[15]
Højlund made his debut on 3 September, replacing Anthony Martial in the 67th minute of a Premier League match against Arsenal, which ended in a 3–1 defeat.[16] On 20 September, Højlund scored his first goal for the club in a 4–3 away defeat against Bayern Munich in the opening match of the 2023–24 Champions League.[17] In United's second Champions League fixture against Galatasaray at Old Trafford, he scored twice as United lost 3–2, and was named man of the match despite the loss.[18] On 8 November, Højlund scored twice on his return to Parken in a 4–3 defeat to his former club Copenhagen.[19] He became youngest player to score twice in an away Champions League match for Manchester United.[20] On 26 December, Højlund scored his first Premier League goal in his fifteenth appearance, scoring the winning goal in a 3–2 victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford.[21][22]
On 4 February 2024, his 21st birthday, Højlund scored the opener in Manchester United's 3–0 victory over West Ham United.[23] A week later on 11 February, Højlund scored against Aston Villa in a 2–1 away victory, becoming the second-youngest player to ever score in five successive Premier League appearances, behind only Nicolas Anelka.[24] On 18 February, he scored both of United's goals in a 2–1 victory over Luton Town, making him the youngest player to score in six consecutive Premier League games ahead of Joe Willock's previous record.[25] After his performances in February, Højlund won the Premier League Player of the Month, becoming the first Danish player in Premier League history to win the award.[26] On 21 April, in the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City, Højlund scored the winning kick of the penalty shootout to send Manchester United to the 2024 FA Cup final after the match had ended in a 3–3 draw after extra time.[27] In the final on 25 May, Højlund won his first trophy with the club as he featured as a late substitute for Marcus Rashford, helping secure a 2–1 victory over local rivals Manchester City.[28]
After scoring in the final two fixtures against Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion, Højlund ended his first season at Manchester United with ten Premier League goals. He also scored five goals from six Champions League appearances as well as one goal in the FA Cup.[29]
Ahead of the 2024–25 season, Højlund was assigned the squad number 9, having worn 11 the previous season.[30] On 3 October 2024, he scored his first goal of the season in a 3–3 draw with FC Porto in the UEFA Europa League.[31]
In September 2022, Højlund played his first international matches for Denmark against Croatia and France during the UEFA Nations League,[32] debuting against the former opponent on 1 September.[33] On 23 March 2023, he made his first international start, scoring a hat-trick in a 3–1 victory against Finland during the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying, his first goals for his country.[34] He ended the qualification phase as Denmark's top-scorer with seven goals.[35]Højlund was selected for Denmark's UEFA Euro 2024 squad, debuting in their opening fixture against Slovenia.[36]
His younger twin brothers, Emil and Oscar, are both footballers with the former currently playing for 2. Bundesliga side Schalke 04 and the latter, top German division club Eintracht Frankfurt. [37]
Club | Season | League | National cup[lower-alpha 1] | League cup[lower-alpha 2] | Europe | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Copenhagen | 2020–21 | Danish Superliga | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
2021–22 | Danish Superliga | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 11[lower-alpha 3] | 5 | 27 | 5 | ||
Total | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 11 | 5 | 32 | 5 | |||
Sturm Graz | 2021–22 | Austrian Bundesliga | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 13 | 6 | |
2022–23 | Austrian Bundesliga | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | 2[lower-alpha 4] | 1 | 8 | 6 | ||
Total | 18 | 9 | 1 | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | 21 | 12 | |||
Atalanta | 2022–23 | Serie A | 32 | 9 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 34 | 10 | ||
Manchester United | 2023–24 | Premier League | 30 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6[lower-alpha 4] | 5 | 43 | 16 |
2024–25 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 5] | 1 | 5 | 1 | |
Total | 33 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 48 | 17 | ||
Career total | 102 | 28 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 12 | 135 | 44 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Denmark | 2022 | 2 | 0 |
2023 | 8 | 7 | |
2024 | 10 | 0 | |
Total | 20 | 7 |
No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 23 March 2023 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 3 | Finland | 1–0 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | [39] |
2 | 2–1 | |||||||
3 | 3–1 | |||||||
4 | 26 March 2023 | Astana Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan | 4 | Kazakhstan | 1–0 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | [40] |
5 | 2–0 | |||||||
6 | 19 June 2023 | Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | 6 | Slovenia | 1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | [41] |
7 | 17 October 2023 | San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino | 10 | San Marino | 1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | |
Copenhagen
Manchester United
Individual
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