If you’re getting to know Jannik Vestergaard, you’ll quickly spot him on the pitch—he’s likely to be one of the tallest players you’ll see. Known as the “Big Dane,” he stands out for his impressive height as a defender.
Jannik is the only son of Wiebke and John, and he has two sisters, Marie and Anna. While the Vestergaard family is musically inclined, with his parents and sisters all involved in music, Jannik chose a different path. His parents supported his passion for football wholeheartedly, and he grew up in an environment where soccer was a major part of life.
It’s worth noting that Jannik comes from a footballing family—his grandfather, uncle, and cousin were all footballers before him. This article explores Jannik Vestergaard’s humble beginnings and his journey to becoming a football star.
The Big Dane: Exploring Jannik Vestergaard’s Unique Path to Football Success
Preamble:
Our biography of Jannik Vestergaard goes beyond what you see on the football pitch. It covers his childhood, early life in the sport, and introduces his parents—Wiebke, his mother, and John, his father—along with their musical and sporting background. We also delve into his siblings, Anna and Marie, his wife, Pernille Vennike, and his overall personality.
In essence, we provide a complete overview of Vestergaard’s journey from his early days to his rise to fame. To give you a glimpse into his engaging story, here’s a visual summary of his life’s progression.
Jannik Vestergaard’s Biography – From his baby days, boyhood years, youth and then to his Moment of Success.
Yes, everyone knows that Jannik Vestergaard is one of the tallest centre-backs in England, using his impressive height to dominate defensively. Despite this, we’ve found that only a few fans have delved into his life story. To give you a complete view, we’ve put together his memoir. So, without further ado, let’s dive in.
Jannik Vestergaard Childhood Story:
To start with his biography, Jannik Vestergaard is nicknamed “Veserguard.” He was born on August 3, 1992, in Hvidovre, a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark, to his mother, Wiebke, and father, John.
The “Big Dane” is the only son of his parents, who had three children together. Here are Jannik’s look-alike dad and beautiful mum, who both appear to be in their early 50s.
Meet Jannik Vestergaard’s Parents. Have you noticed a close resemblance between the footballer and his Dad?
Growing-Up Days:
The Danish player has two sisters (Anna and Marie) whom he spent most of his early years with. As a boy, he loved football (and nothing else). In fact, every one of his family could sense he was special from the moment he was born. Behold little Jannik and his loving mum and sisters.
The Big Dane grew up with his two sisters, Marie and Anna.
Did you know? Jannik’s passion for soccer initially raised more questions than admiration for a couple of reasons. First, his parents, Wiebke and John, and his two sisters, Anna and Marie, were all involved in music. Second, Jannik’s height was more suited to Denmark’s popular sports like basketball and handball.
Jannik Vestergaard Family Background:
Thanks to his household’s profitable interest in music, the family lived and fared comfortably as middle-class citizens.
We have photos of the then kid having fun at amusement parks, among other memorable moments. Hence, he wasn’t a poor child.
Childhood photo of Vestergaard with his sister Anna at an amusement park.
Also, there was no pressure on Vestergaard to jump on the music bandwagon as his parents admirably watched him become passionately involved in football. Lest we forget that his granddad, uncle, and cousin were footballers before him.
Jannik Vestergaard Family Origin:
No doubt, the Danish player’s name might not give you German vibes when you pronounce it. However, some of his ancestors have their roots in West Germany – precisely Krefeld.
Did you know?… one of Jannik Vestergaard’s parents (his mum Wiebke) is German while his Dad (John) is pure Danish. Results from our research indicate he has German roots via matriarchy.
Jannik Vestergaard Biography – Career Story:
Did you know that the Denmark star was only four when he took his first steps into competitive football with the local club Vestia BK? When the time came right, Jannik moved to a more renowned side – Bk Frem.
Certainly, getting the best training could only come with the biggest Danish academy.
So, in a bid to get a bigger challenge, Jannik Vestergaard’s parents pushed for their son to have trials at FC Copenhagen (the club that raised the likes of Thomas Delaney (CM), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (DM), Jonas Wind (CF), Andreas Cornelius (CF), etc.) Thankfully, he gained admission there.
Early Years in Football:
It is worthwhile to note here that the footballer used to be a midfielder and attacker during his early moments in football.
As Vestergaard got taller and taller, they made him step back from forward and midfield roles until he ended up as a defender. Here is little Jannik (back then) as he smiles.
His growth spurt made him change roles during his early moments in professional football.
At the height of his career with Copenhagen, Jannik experienced a significant growth spurt that his body struggled to adapt to, affecting his performance on the field. As a result, the 15-year-old began to lose interest in football, partly due to being relegated to the bench.
Journey to Fame:
Fortunately, the teenager didn’t give up on football. Instead, he took the initiative to join the rival club Brøndby. At this point, Jannik Vestergaard’s parents had agreed to let him drop out of school so he could concentrate fully on his football career.
Ironically, it was when he was playing in a city derby against his ex-club FC Copenhagen that a scout from 1899 Hoffenheim noticed him.
When the scout observed Jannik a few weeks later during an indoor game at Linkenheim, he confirmed his faith in his capabilities and had him signed to the club.
For the first time, Jannik Vestergaard’s family members were stunned to see their beloved leave them for another country. Thou it was all for good.
Again, the defender’s latter time at Hoffenheim wasn’t rosy. At 22, Vestergaard had a stagnant performance, with doubts about whether he would ever get to fulfil his football dreams.
Just when all hopes seemed lost, Werder Bremen came seeking his services in 2015.
Jannik Vestergaard Bio – Success Story:
It was at Bremen that the Great Dane had the best of his rise in football, such that he did admit later that Werder Bremen’s boost saved him.
“I’ll always be very grateful to Werder. They put faith in me when interested clubs were hardly lining up for me.”
Again, when he joined Borussia Mönchengladbach from Werder, he began hitting top form.
In no time, Big Veserguard was already courting interest from top English clubs. As papers put it, Jannik Vestergaard did establish himself as a lynchpin of the Mönchengladbach defence.
When he joined Southampton in 2018, it didn’t take long for Jannik Vestergaard to be compared to Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, largely due to his commanding presence in the air.
In reality, Jannik’s impressive height (1.99 m or 6.6 feet) and his dedication have transformed him from an underdog into an undeniable hero.
This is a glimpse of what made the Dane one of the world’s best CBs during his peak.
Fast forward to date, he has established himself with The Saints as another successful Danish talent — just like his compatriots Christian Eriksen and Andreas Skov Olsen. The rest, as they say, will be history.
About Pernille Vennike – Jannik Vestergaard Wife:
There is a blondie that has been in Veserguard’s life before 2009. She has been with the defender since his youth days — even before he was at Brondy.
Thus, she must have shared in the Big Dane’s travails and minor triumphs until his breakthrough with Southampton.
This photo of the couple was taken in 2009.
Her name is Pernille Vennike, and she is Vestergaard’s wife. Like Martin Braithwaite, Jannik decided he would get married once he is fully settled – professionally.
The lover and his then-girlfriend walked down the aisle in 2018 and have been together, living every moment of their happiness thereafter with a son (born in 2019) to share in their joy. Here’s a photo of Vestergaard’s wife, smiling joyfully alongside him on their wedding day.
Jannik Vestergaard and his wife, Pernille Vennike, were married in 2018.
Jannik Vestergaard Family Life:
A set of people don’t define their relationship with him by what he does on the football pitch.
They only need him to be the man he is, not the football player the world sees him as. They are the Vestergaard family!
Behold the Vestergaards family.
Here, we bring you more facts about Jannik Vestergaard’s parents and siblings. In addition, we will outline facts about his relatives.
Jannik Vestergaard’s Father:
John is the name of the Great Dane’s father. He was once a professional musician, specifically a pianist, and also studied economics at university.
John, of Danish heritage, met his wife, Wiebke (Vestergaard’s mother), in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. There, they fell in love while both were studying to become professional musicians.
Jannik Vestergaard’s Mother:
Wiebke is Jannik Vestergaard’s mother. Born in 1967 in Krefeld, West Germany, she has strong German family roots and an extensive career in music as a cellist.
Wiebke began playing the cello at a local German music school when she was just six years old. She was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra from 1986 to 1989 and has been employed by Copenhagen Phil since 1991.
Thanks to her, Vestergaard once had the option of turning up for the German national team. Instead, he decided to join Denmark because his mother agreed it was in the best interests of his profession.
Jannik Vestergaard Siblings:
Jannik Vestergaard’s two sisters, Anna and Marie, are his biggest fans and his only siblings. Despite looking quite similar, the sisters were born years apart but share a very close bond. You can see the height difference between Jannik and his sisters in the photo below.
Meet Jannik Vestergaard sisters.
Jannik Vestergaard Relatives:
To speak of the defender’s ancestry, particularly his paternal grandparents, is akin to sailing uncharted waters.
However, we can confidently report that his maternal grandfather, Hannes Schröers, is a former German professional footballer with an extensive history with West Ham United.
Here is Vestergaard’s grandfather, who was a West Ham player.
Similarly, Vestergaard’s uncle, Jan Schröers, and his cousin, Mika Schröers, both had football careers with Bayer 05 Uerdingen and Borussia Mönchengladbach, respectively.
As for his maternal grandmother, there are no available records, and details about his uncle, aunts, nephews, and nieces are not yet known.
Personality:
In the words of the Southampton Legend:
“I love football and everything about it, but it’s not the No1 thing in my life.”
Widely known as a friendly giant, Vestergaard is a soft-spoken individual. He is one of the nicest people you will ever come across and is still regarded as very humble by people not even in his income class.
Are you big on Instagram? You will have no worries getting likes and comments on your post if you have Vestergaard following you.
Also, Google Translate got nothing on the defender who has a good command of English, his country’s language and German.
Isn’t he the perfect gentleman?
They say time does change people, but the 6-foot-tall player hasn’t changed a bit of his likeable nature. He is still a down-to-earth, smart chappy that teammates will forever not shy from describing as a friend.
His hobbies and interests include reading, American football, going on vacation, watching movies, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Lifestyle:
After reading about Vestergaard’s life and career, it’s easy to see why following his path could be a great way to build a net worth of 15.8 million euros before turning 30.
You can achieve the same financial breakthrough as the defender, even if football is not your line of trade. But you should be able to earn an annual salary of £3,120,000 and a weekly wage of £60,000 like he currently does.
With such impressive earnings, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the fruits of your success. For instance, you could buy a lovely house in Winchester, England, and maybe even treat yourself to an exotic all-weather car, just like Vestergaard did with the one shown below.
Behold the football genius car covered in snow.
Untold Facts:
To wrap up our engaging article on his childhood story and bio, here are little-known or Untold truths about him.
Jannik Vestergaard Religion:
Vestergaard’s dad’s name is John, while his sisters bear the name Anna and Marie. In addition, has once met with the Bishop of Rome and Pope Francis. What more do we need to give him a Christian tag?
FIFA Rating:
An overall rating of 77 points with a potential of 78 doesn’t look good on Vestergaard. Even if a lot of fans might want to believe that the rating is fair, we know a part of them screams above 83. The truth is, Jannik’s game does place him on the same level as Kasper Schmeichel (84).
Pet:
Players like Vestergaard make a celebrity out of pets, particularly dogs. It’s hard not to observe that he has a serious-looking doggie named Brady.
We suggest he should name it Buddy, given that they are almost inseparable.
A rare photo of Vestergaard flying with his dog Brady.
Saddest Moment of his Southampton Days:
Do you remember the Southampton vs. Leicester match on October 25, 2019, where Leicester won 9-0? If you do, you’ll recall it as the worst day and biggest loss of Jannik Vestergaard’s entire professional career.
His Southampton Debut ended in Blood:
No doubt, people say Welcome to the Premier League! — for a reason. Jannik’s EPL debut saw his parents and family members holding their breath.
In case you have forgotten, the Southampton new boy was CAUGHT OFF GUARD and did suffer a bloody nose on his first day at work in England.
EndNote:
Thanks for reading this informative piece about the Giant Dane. Jannik Vestergaard’s biography inspires us to believe that the road to success is not always smooth, but at last, it always assures us a profitable end if only there is hard work.
No doubt, Jannik Vestergaard is loyal to Southampton FC, and he is already considered a Saints legend.
It behoves us now to commend Jannik Vestergaard’s parents for their support of his career in words and deeds. Even when he told his family his intentions to drop out of school, they stood by him, whispering:
“Chase your dreams, follow your passion and you can always come back if it doesn’t turn out the way you dream. You can go back to school.”
We take pride in delivering the football stories of Saints players (present and past) with accuracy and fairness. Surely, our article on Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Jan Bednarek will excite you. If you observe anything that doesn’t look right, do well to contact us or leave a message below. To get a quick grasp of Jannik Vestergaard’s Bio, here is his Wiki table summary.
