A young leader | OneFootball

We introduce Frankfurt’s new number six and Denmark Under-19 captain Oscar Højlund, whose “ambition and passion” sets him apart.

Oscar Højlund was destined for a career in sport. His mother Kirsten was an athlete and a footballer, while father Anders tried his luck as a centre-forward in Denmark in the 1990s but never made it as a professional. “We trained a lot in the garden – there were plenty of fights,” Højlund recalls of his childhood with his dad and two brothers, Rasmus and Emil. Rasmus, the eldest of the three siblings, is currently at Manchester United and has already laced his boots for FC Copenhagen, Sturm Graz and Atalanta. Emil, two years Rasmus’ junior, moved from childhood club Hörsholm-Usseröd IK into Copenhagen’s youth set-up – along with twin brother Oscar – in 2018. On 16 July 2024, Emil joined Bundesliga 2 side FC Schalke 04.

Senior and Champions League debuts at 18

Unlike his brothers, Oscar operates not as a striker but as a central midfielder. In 2022/23, he was twice named in Copenhagen’s matchday squad without making his debut in Denmark’s top flight. However, because he was part of the squad, he is already able to call himself a Danish Superliga champion.

Title-winning coach Jacob Neestrup eventually handed the 1.87m youngster his top-flight bow in 2023/24 – a one-minute cameo appearance in a 2-1 victory over Lyngby FK in Copenhagen’s first game of the season. Against Hvidivre IF on Matchday 5, Højlund played the full 90 minutes for the first time.

Runner, fighter, grafter

Højlund was mostly used as a substitute in his first proper campaign as a first-team player, making 23 appearances across all competitions, including six brief outings in the UEFA Champions League.

He describes himself as a “box-to-box midfielder”, adding: “I appear in the penalty area and like to score goals when I get the chance. I commit tackles and cover every corner of the pitch. I run a lot and help the team.”

He is already displaying leadership qualities too, having been made captain of Denmark’s Under-19 side in November 2023. He has made 11 appearances for the U19s to date, not to mention ten outings for the U18s and another 13 for the U17s.

Frankfurt’s third Dane and new number six

After five and a half years with Copenhagen, Højlund became the third Danish player to represent Frankfurt after Frederik Rönnow and Jesper Lindström. Rasmus Kristensen became the fourth after joining the Eagles on loan on 19 July 2024.

Eintracht sporting director Timmo Hardung sees Højlund as “a very talented player who already boasts international experience at a young age”, adding: “We’ve already seen what sets him apart: his ambition, passion and footballing ability.” Even so, Hardung admits Højlund “is a player who can still improve and who will get the time he needs from us”.

He has inherited the number six shirt last worn by Kristijan Jakic. “I want to play as well as possible and work hard on and off the pitch,” he said. As Hardung stated, Højlund is nothing if not ambitious – and clearly raring to go for his first season as an Eintracht player.