Rasmus Højlund

Rasmus Højlund
Højlund in 2023
Personal information
Full name Rasmus Winther Højlund[1]
Date of birth (2003-02-04) 4 February 2003 (age 21)[2]
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 [da]
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 43 (12)
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 22 (7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:50, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:51, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

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.

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.

Club career

[edit]

Copenhagen

[edit]

Højlund was born in Copenhagen[5] and grew up in Hørsholm, Capital Region.[6] He played youth football for HUI [da] 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]

Sturm Graz

[edit]

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]

Atalanta

[edit]

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]

Manchester United

[edit]

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]

2023–24: Debut season and adaptation

[edit]

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 defeat.[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 the 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, the winner in a 3–2 home victory over Aston Villa. The goal came in his fifteenth appearance for the club, as United fought from 2–0 down to win.[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 opened the scoring again, this time 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, the first of which came just 37 seconds into the match. This made 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]

2024–25

[edit]

Ahead of the 2024–25 season in which he wore number 11, Højlund was assigned the squad number 9, taking the shirt from the recently departed Anthony Martial.[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] On 19 October, Højlund scored his first league goal of the season in a 2–1 home victory against Brentford, ending Manchester United's winless run of five games in the process.[32] Following his goal in the 2-1 victory over Victoria Plzen in the UEFA Europa League match on 13 December 2024, Højlund is now one of three players alongside Wayne Rooney and Marcus Rashford who has scored 9 goals in Europe at 21 years of age or below.[33]

International career

[edit]

In September 2022, Højlund played his first international matches for Denmark against Croatia and France during the UEFA Nations League,[34] debuting against the former opponent on 1 September.[35] 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.[36] He ended the qualification phase as Denmark's top-scorer with seven goals.[37] Højlund was selected for Denmark's UEFA Euro 2024 squad, debuting in their opening fixture against Slovenia.[38]

Personal life

[edit]

His younger twin brothers, Emil and Oscar, are both footballers with Emil currently playing for 2. Bundesliga side Schalke 04 and Oscar for Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt.[39]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
As of match played 26 December 2024[3]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] 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[c] 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[d] 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[d] 5 43 16
2024–25 Premier League 13 2 0 0 2 0 6[e] 5 21 7
Total 43 12 5 1 4 0 12 10 64 23
Career total 112 30 10 4 4 0 25 16 151 50
  1. ^ Includes Danish Cup, Austrian Cup, Coppa Italia, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  4. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

[edit]
As of match played 18 November 2024[40]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Denmark 2022 2 0
2023 8 7
2024 12 0
Total 22 7
Denmark score listed first, score column indicates score after each Højlund goal.[40]
List of international goals scored by Rasmus Højlund
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 [41]
2 2–1
3 3–1
4 26 March 2023 Astana Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan 4  Kazakhstan 1–0 2–3 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying [42]
5 2–0
6 19 June 2023 Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia 6  Slovenia 1–1 1–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying [43]
7 17 October 2023 San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino 10  San Marino 1–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying

Honours

[edit]

Copenhagen

Manchester United

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Nørby Jensen, Jørgen (26 March 2023). "Rasmus Højlund | Den Store Danske". lex.dk (in Danish). Den Store Danske. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  2. ^ UEFA.com. "Rasmus Højlund - Denmark - European Qualifiers". UEFA.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b Rasmus Højlund at Soccerway. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  4. ^ "Rasmus Højlunds reaktion efter hattricket i Parken - samt reaktioner fra Kjær, Bah og Stryger" [Rasmus Højlund's reaction after the hat-trick in the Park - as well as reactions from Kjær, Bah and Stryger]. YouTube (in Danish). Danish Football Association. 24 March 2023. Archived from the original on 27 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  5. ^ "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RASMUS HØJLUND!". atalanta.it. 4 February 2023. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  6. ^ Mortensen, Leo (24 March 2023). "Højlund-hattrick gør hjembyen høj: "Han er den nye Haaland"". TV 2 Kosmopol (in Danish). Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Dansk klub misser Rasmus Højlund-millioner". tipsbladet.dk. 28 March 2023. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  8. ^ "DEBUTANTEN HØJLUND: DET ER HELT SURREALISTISK - MEN JEG SKAL HJEM OG I SKOLE!". fck.dk. 26 October 2020. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  9. ^ a b c "WELCOME, HØJLUND!". Atalanta. 27 August 2022. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  10. ^ a b Campanale, Susy (27 August 2022). "Official: Atalanta break bank for 'new Haaland' Hojlund". Football Italia. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  11. ^ Bettoni, Lorenzo (5 September 2022). "Monza 0–2 Atalanta, Gasp new Serie A leader". Football Italia. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  12. ^ Macedo, Aurélien (22 January 2023). "Atalanta : Rasmus Højlund, la nouvelle pépite danoise qui a fait oublier Duván Zapata". Foot Mercato : Info Transferts Football (in French). Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Lookman crowned January's POTM!". Atalanta. 9 February 2023. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Man Utd agree £72m deal to sign Atalanta's Hojlund". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Hojlund signs for United". Manchester United F.C. 5 August 2023. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  16. ^ Martin, Richard (3 September 2023). "Rasmus Hojlund makes his debut! Man Utd's big money signing comes off the bench to feature vs Arsenal". Goal. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  17. ^ "Manchester United find hope in Højlund despite Kane's dominant display". The Guardian. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  18. ^ "Manchester United player ratings vs Galatasaray as Rasmus Hojlund brilliant but Andre Onana poor". 3 October 2023. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  19. ^ "Copenhagen 4-3 Man United: can Ten Hag's side still progress in the Champions League?". The Athletic. 9 November 2023. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  20. ^ Furniss, Matt (9 November 2023). "FC Copenhagen 4-3 Manchester United Stats". theanalyst.com. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Hojlund's first goal gives Man Utd EPIC turnaround win over Villa". Premier League. 26 December 2023. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  22. ^ Stone, Simon (24 December 2023). "Man Utd 3–2 Aston Villa: Rasmus Højlund fires United to comeback win over Villa". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 11 February 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  23. ^ Bate, Adam (4 February 2024). "Man Utd 3-0 West Ham: Rasmus Hojlund's goal and two from Alejandro Garnacho move Erik ten Hag's team sixth". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  24. ^ "Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester United: Key stats". BBC. 12 February 2024. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Hojlund makes Premier League history as Man Utd hold off Luton". France 24. Agence France-Presse. 18 February 2024. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  26. ^ "Hojlund makes history as EA SPORTS Player of the Month". Premier League. 8 March 2024. Archived from the original on 13 April 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  27. ^ Smith, Peter (21 April 2024). "Coventry 3-3 Man Utd (2-4 on penalties): Erik ten Hag's side survive epic Sky Blues comeback to reach FA Cup final". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  28. ^ Yew, Oliver (26 May 2024). "Man City 1-2 Man Utd: Erik ten Hag's side end season on high with stunning FA Cup final win at Wembley". Sky Sports. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  29. ^ "Rasmus Højlund on track to achieve top scorer status in his first season at Man Utd". Manchester United. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  30. ^ "Rasmus Højlund to wear new Manchester United shirt number in 2024/25". Manchester United. 24 July 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  31. ^ "Porto 2-1 Manchester United: Europa League match report". The Guardian. 3 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  32. ^ Bate, Adam (20 October 2024). "Man Utd 2-1 Brentford: Rasmus Hojlund scores winner as Erik ten Hag's team come from behind to win". Sky Sports. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  33. ^ "Hojlund joins exclusive scoring club". www.manutd.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  34. ^ "The "new" Haaland is here". Mundo Deportivo. 24 February 2023.
  35. ^ "Rasmus Højlund: A Remarkable Start to His Denmark Career". OneFootball. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  36. ^ "Hojlund the hat-trick hero as Denmark beat Finland 3–1". Reuters. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  37. ^ "EURO 2024 qualifying top scorers: Romelu Lukaku races clear of competition". UEFA. 20 November 2023.
  38. ^ "Denmark-Slovenia | Line-ups | European Qualifiers 2024". UEFA. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  39. ^ "Bundesliga | Emil Højlund: Who is the Schalke new boy with a twin in the Bundesliga?".
  40. ^ a b "Rasmus Højlund". EU-Football.info. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  41. ^ "Denmark vs. Finland 3–1: Summary". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  42. ^ "Kazakhstan vs. Denmark 3–2: Summary". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  43. ^ "Slovenia vs. Denmark 1–1: Summary". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  44. ^ "FC Copenhagen win 14th Danish league title". www.dailytimes.com.pk. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  45. ^ "Manchester City 1–2 Manchester United: Line-ups". BBC Sport. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  46. ^ "Rasmus Højlund er Årets Mandlige Talent 2023". DBU (in Danish). 22 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  47. ^ "IFFHS MEN'S YOUTH (U20) WORLD TEAM 2023". IFFHS. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  48. ^ "Rasmus Højlund: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
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