 Højlund in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rasmus Winther Højlund[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2003-02-04)4 February 2003 (age 22)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Copenhagen, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Napoli (on loan fromManchester United) | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| 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 | 62 | (14) |
| 2025– | →Napoli (loan) | 8 | (2) |
| 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 | 31 | (13) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:42, 22 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 21:48, 18 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Rasmus Winther Højlund (Danish pronunciation:[ˈʁɑsmusˈhʌjˌlɔnˀ];[4] born 4 February 2003) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as astriker forSerie A clubNapoli, on loan fromPremier League clubManchester United, and theDenmark national team.
Højlund graduated fromCopenhagen'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 clubSturm Graz in January 2022. Later that year, he was signed byAtalanta for €17 million, before moving to Manchester United in 2023 for an initial fee of £64 million.
Højlund played youth international football for Denmark fromunder-16 tounder-21 level. He made his senior international debut in September 2022.
Højlund was born inCopenhagen[5] and grew up inHørsholm,Capital Region.[6] He played youth football forHUI [da] andBrøndby, before joiningCopenhagen's youth system.[7]
He made his professional debut for F.C. Copenhagen at the age of 17 on 25 October 2020.[8] In December 2020, he extended his contract with FCK until 31 December 2023. After the 2021 summer break, he was promoted to the first team squad.
During the 2021–22 season, he made his debut in European competitions, contributing five goals in theUEFA Europa Conference League across qualification rounds and the tournament proper.[9]
He scored his first two goals for FCK on 29 July 2021, when he was substituted at half-time in a match against FC Tarpedo-BelAZ Zhodino in the Conference League.
In January 2022, Højlund joinedAustrian Bundesliga clubSturm 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 withSerie A clubAtalanta 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 overMonza.[11] Initially confined to a substitute role at the beginning of theseason, 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 sideManchester 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, replacingAnthony Martial in the 67th minute of a Premier League match againstArsenal, 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 againstBayern Munich in the opening match of the2023–24 Champions League.[17] In United's second Champions League fixture againstGalatasaray atOld 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 toParken in a 4–3 defeat to his former clubCopenhagen.[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 overAston 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 overWest 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 onlyNicolas Anelka.[24] On 18 February, he scored both of United's goals in a 2–1 victory overLuton 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 ofJoe Willock's previous record.[25] After his performances in February, Højlund won thePremier League Player of the Month, becoming the first Danish player in Premier League history to win the award.[26] On 21 April, in theFA Cup semi-final againstCoventry City, Højlund scored the winning kick of the penalty shootout to send Manchester United to the2024 FA Cup final after a 3–3 draw after extra time in a match that notably saw United throw away a 3–0 lead.[27] In the final on 25 May, Højlund won his first trophy with the club as he featured as a late substitute forMarcus Rashford, helping secure a 2–1 victory overlocal rivalsManchester City.[28]
After scoring in the final two fixtures againstNewcastle United andBrighton & 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 the2024–25 season in which he wore number 11, Højlund was assigned the squad number 9, taking the shirt from the recently departedAnthony Martial.[30] On 3 October 2024, he scored his first goal of the season in a 3–3 draw withFC Porto in theUEFA Europa League.[31] On 19 October, Højlund scored his first league goal of the season in a 2–1 home victory againstBrentford, ending Manchester United's winless run of five games in the process.[32]
On 12 December 2024, Højlund scored a brace off the bench to give United a 2–1 comeback victory away toVictoria Plzen. This made him one of three United players to have scored nine goals in Europe at 21 years of age or below, the others beingMarcus Rashford andWayne Rooney.[33]
During the season, Højlund came under fire from pundits and fans for his lacklustre performances; he experienced a streak of 16 Premier League matches without scoring, with his last league goal coming on 7 December 2024 in a 2–3 home defeat toNottingham Forest. Former United playerRio Ferdinand said he "always [tries] to fight [defenders] and make contact".[34]
On 16 March 2025, Højlund ended his 21-game goalless streak, netting the opening goal in a 3–0 win away overLeicester City.[35] Following a poor performance in theUEFA Europa League final againstTottenham, Manchester United put Højlund and several other players on the transfer list.[36]
On 1 September 2025, Højlund joined Napoli on a season-long loan deal, with an obligation to buy if Napoli qualifies for the Champions League next season. This includes a €6 million loan fee, and potential fee for the buy option to be around £38 million (€44 million).[37] On 13 September, he scored his first goal on his debut in a 3–1 away win overFiorentina.[38] On 1 October, he scored a brace in theleague phase of the Champions League againstSporting CP.[39]
In September 2022, Højlund played his first international matches forDenmark againstCroatia andFrance during theUEFA Nations League,[40] debuting against the former opponent on 1 September.[41] On 23 March 2023, he made his first international start, scoring a hat-trick in a 3–1 victory againstFinland during theUEFA Euro 2024 qualifying, his first goals for his country.[42] He ended the qualification phase as Denmark's top-scorer with seven goals.[43] Højlund was selected for Denmark's UEFA Euro 2024 squad, debuting in their opening fixture against Slovenia.[44]
His younger twin brothers,Emil andOscar, are both footballers with Emil currently playing for2. Bundesliga sideSchalke 04 and Oscar forBundesliga clubEintracht Frankfurt.[45]
| 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 | 32 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15[e] | 6 | 52 | 10 | |
| Total | 62 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 11 | 95 | 26 | ||
| Napoli (loan) | 2025–26 | Serie A | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 4[d] | 2 | 12 | 4 | |
| Career total | 139 | 34 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 38 | 19 | 194 | 57 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 2022 | 2 | 0 |
| 2023 | 8 | 7 | |
| 2024 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 9 | 6 | |
| Total | 31 | 13 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 March 2023 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 3 |  Finland | 1–0 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 2 | 2–1 | ||||||
| 3 | 3–1 | ||||||
| 4 | 26 March 2023 | Astana Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan | 4 |  Kazakhstan | 1–0 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 5 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 6 | 19 June 2023 | Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | 6 |  Slovenia | 1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 7 | 17 October 2023 | San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino | 10 |  San Marino | 1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 8 | 20 March 2025 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 23 |  Portugal | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A |
| 9 | 8 September 2025 | Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece | 28 |  Greece | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10 | 9 October 2025 | ZTE Arena, Zalaegerszeg, Hungary | 29 |  Belarus | 2–0 | 6–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 12 | 12 October 2025 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 30 | Greece | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 13 | 18 November 2025 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | 31 |  Scotland | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Copenhagen
Manchester United
Individual
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