Former Leicester defender Jannik Vestergaard retires from football | OneFootball

Former Leicester defender Jannik Vestergaard has retired from football after leaving the King Power Stadium by mutual consent in the summer. The centre-back had been unattached since his contract was terminated.

"A sense of saturation has crept in," he said. "A feeling that my motivation isn’t just waning, but simply isn’t really there anymore." He told Danish outlet Politiken.

Vestergaard ended his Denmark career in the spring after 59 caps. He had recently been linked with a move to Bundesliga side Hamburg.

The defender began his senior career abroad with Hoffenheim in 2010, then played for Werder Bremen and Borussia Mönchengladbach before joining Southampton. He spent three years at St Mary's and reached the FA Cup semi-final, losing to Leicester, before moving to City under Brendan Rodgers in a deal worth about £15million.

Vestergaard lost his place under Rodgers and featured only five times during Leicester's Premier League relegation in 2023. He became a key figure under Enzo Maresca in the Championship, earning a new three-year contract following promotion.

After barely featuring under Ruud van Nistelrooy, he returned to the Championship with Leicester and made 31 appearances last season, scoring three. In all, he played 118 times for City, scoring five, and was part of a side that fell from the Premier League to League One with three relegations in four years.

Source: LeicesterMercury.co.uk

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