Leo Hjelde

Leo Fuhr Hjelde (born 26 August 2003) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a left-back or centre-back for EFL Championship club Sunderland. He is a Norway under-21 international.

Leo Hjelde

Personal information
Full name	Leo Fuhr Hjelde[1]
Date of birth	(2003-08-26) 26 August 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth	Nottingham, England
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Position(s)	Left-back, centre-back[3]
Team information
Current team	Sunderland
Number	33
Youth career
0000–2017	Trygg/Lade
2018–2019	Rosenborg
2019–2021	Celtic
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2020–2021	Celtic	0	(0)
2021	→ Ross County (loan)	11	(1)
2021–2024	Leeds United	3	(0)
2023	→ Rotherham United (loan)	13	(0)
2024–	Sunderland	14	(0)
International career‡
2019	Norway U16	13	(0)
2020	Norway U17	3	(0)
2021	Norway U18	3	(1)
2021–	Norway U19	3	(0)
2021–	Norway U21	10	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 2 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13 September 2023

Early life

Hjelde is the son of former Nottingham Forest and Rosenborg defender Jon Olav Hjelde, who was playing for South Korean K League club Busan I'cons when Leo was born in England.^[4] Jon Olav briefly returned to England to witness Leo's birth, after which the family moved to South Korea for several months to live with Jon Olav in Busan. They returned to England in mid-2004, and subsequently moved to Norway after Jon Olav's two-year spell at Mansfield Town ended in 2007.^[5]

Club career

Celtic

On 29 July 2019, Hjelde signed a professional contract with Scottish Premiership club Celtic at 15 years old; he was brought straight into the reserve squad.^[6][7]

On 22 January 2021, Hjelde signed for Premiership side Ross County on loan for the remainder of the season.^[8] He made his league debut the following day against Rangers in a 5–0 defeat.^[9] He scored his first professional goal on 6 March 2021 in a 3–2 win against Kilmarnock.^[10] His performances on loan led to Ross County boss John Hughes likening the young defender to former Celtic player Virgil van Dijk.^[11]

Leeds United

On 27 August 2021, Hjelde signed for Leeds United for an undisclosed fee, signing a four-year deal at Elland Road.

Hjelde made his senior debut for Leeds United on 9 January 2022 in the starting line-up in 2–0 FA Cup third round defeat to West Ham United.^[12] He made his Premier League debut the following week, also at West Ham, when he came on as a first-half replacement for Junior Firpo in Leeds' 3–2 win, becoming the youngest Norwegian to play in the Premier League.^[13][14][4]

On 12 January 2023, Hjelde joined EFL Championship side Rotherham United on loan for the remainder of the 2022–23 season.^[15]

Sunderland

On 30 Jan 2024 Hjelde joined Sunderland on a four-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee.^[16]

His first game for Sunderland was a EFL Championship fixture against Middlesbrough which he played 90 minutes, the game ended 1-1.

Career statistics

As of match played 2 November 2024^[17]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Celtic	2020–21[18]	Scottish Premiership	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2021–22[18]		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ross County (loan)	2020–21[18]	Scottish Premiership	11	1	1	0	0	0	—		12	1
Leeds United	2021–22	Premier League	2	0	1	0	0	0	1[a]	0	4	0
	2022–23		0	0	0	0	2	0	1[a]	0	3	0
	2023–24	Championship	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	Total		3	0	1	0	2	0	2	0	8	0
Rotherham United (loan)	2022–23	Championship	13	0	—		—		—		13	0
Sunderland	2023–24	Championship	11	0	—		—		—		11	0
	2024–25	Championship	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	4	0
	Total		14	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	15	0
Career total			41	1	2	0	3	0	2	0	48	1

1. Appearances in EFL Trophy

References

1. "Leo Fuhr Hjelde" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Football Federation. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
2. "Leo Fuhr Hjelde – Player Profile – Football". Eurosport. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
3. Leo Hjelde at WorldFootball.net
4. "Norsk 15-åring klar for Celtic". TV2. TV2. 29 July 2019. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
5. Rowcliffe, Devon (2020). Who Ate All the Squid?: Football Adventures in South Korea. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 9781785316814.
6. "Celtic agree terms with talented young Norwegian defender". Celtic FC. 29 July 2019. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
7. "Celtic sign Rosenborg youngster Leo Hjelde". Sky Sports. 29 July 2019. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
8. "Ross County add Celtic teenager Leo Hjelde on loan". BBC Sport. BBC. 22 January 2021. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
9. "Rangers 5–0 Ross County". SPFL. SPFL. 23 January 2021. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
10. "Ross County 3–2 Kilmarnock". BBC. 6 March 2021. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
11. Durent, Jamie (14 April 2021). "Leo Hjelde labelled 'next Virgil van Dijk' by Ross County boss John Hughes". Press and Journal. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
12. "Leeds United complete Leo Hjelde swoop". Leeds United FC. 27 August 2021. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
13. Steinberg, Jacob (16 January 2022). "West Ham v Leeds: Premier League Live!". Guardian.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
14. Steinberg, Jacob (16 January 2022). "West Ham 2–3 Leeds United: Harrison hat-trick dents Hammers' top-four push". www.Guardian.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
15. "Millers secure loan for Leo from Leeds United". Rotherham United FC. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
16. "Kristjaan Speakman explains why Sunderland have made Leeds United defender their first January signing". Sunderland Echo. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
17. Leo Hjelde at Soccerway. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
18. "Games played by Leo Hjelde in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 January 2021.

External links

• International statistics at the NFF (in Norwegian)