Former Danish national team footballer Jannik Vestergaard has brought down the curtain on his impressive career.

He has been without a club since the summer, when his contract with the English club Leicester City was terminated. "A sense of weariness has crept in. A feeling that my motivation isn't just waning, but simply isn't really there anymore," he tells Danish media outlet "Politiken".

He explains that, physically, he could certainly continue and has received offers from countries including Germany and England. However, nothing has been compelling enough to reignite his motivation.

Six months ago, he announced his retirement from the Danish national team. He made 59 appearances and scored three goals for the national squad.

In mid-July, his contract with Leicester City was terminated, and he has been without a club ever since.

He turned 34 shortly thereafter, and following his departure from Leicester, continuing his career would have meant uprooting his family once again. This was a major factor tipping the scales toward retirement for the nearly two-meter-tall center-back.

"I have school-age children. It would really take something special to make me want to pull them out of their familiar daily lives to chase one-year contracts—which is the sort of deal typically offered at my age," Jannik Vestergaard, he says.

He took his first steps in football at Vestia and Frem before moving to KB. As an U17 player, he transferred to Brondby, but the prospect of an adventure abroad beckoned even before he turned 18. The German club Hoffenheim signed the talented defender, who subsequently played in Germany and later in England.

After Hoffenheim, he had spells at Werder Bremen, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Southampton, and Leicester.

He was a regular starter for the Danish national team at both Euro 2021 and Euro 2024. He was part of the Denmark squad for the 2018 World Cup but did not see any playing time.