The international break is an opportunity for players to become heroes for their nations, and for many Leicester City stars, it will bring some welcome respite from club football.
Under the guidance of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Leicester City are cantering towards an immediate return to the Championship, currently nine points adrift of safety.
The season looks dead and buried for the Foxes, with several players contributing to their downfall, including centre-back Jannik Vestergaard.
Vestergaard has been woeful for City this term, being a part of the second-worst defence in the Premier League in 2024/25.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 17 |  WolvesWolves | 29 | 7 | 5 | 17 | 40 | 58 | -18 | 26 |
| 18 |  IpswichIpswich | 29 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 28 | 62 | -34 | 17 |
| 19 |  LeicesterLeicester | 29 | 4 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 65 | -40 | 17 |
| 20 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 29 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 21 | 70 | -49 | 9 |
Fans would have naturally expected his poor form to continue on the international stage but surprisingly, the 32-year-old was rated highly by the media for his performance on Thursday night.
Danish media react to Jannik Vestergaard’s display vs Portugal
Denmark were in Nations League quarter-final action against Portugal as Rasmus Hojlund’s 78th-minute winner gave them a 1-0 advantage ahead of the second leg.
Leicester’s Vestergaard played the full ninety minutes of that encounter alongside Fulham’s Joachim Andersen, with the Danish media waxing lyrical over his display.
Reacting to his performance, DR handed him a score of 10 out of 12 and wrote: “The great strength of the tall Vestergaard lies in his physique, his head game and his precise long passes.
“Against the Portuguese, he was suddenly also in the role of a finisher with his feet – but without success. The first half was fine, but especially after the break he raised the level even further. Breaking the ball, good starts and important clearances.”
It’s a summary that reads as the complete opposite of what fans have witnessed from him at Leicester but even BT continued showering the defender with praise.
Hailing him a ‘colossus’, they scored him four out of five stars and wrote: “A colossus on set pieces. We don’t understand why the opponents bother to go forward on corner kicks, because the ball ends up with 99 percent certainty in Vestergaard’s forehead. We were more worried that there would be running duels with some of the fast Iberians. But he skillfully got himself out of them. Many great passes by the way!”
Meanwhile, Ekstrabladet lauded his solidity with a 7/10 rating and said: “Also a fine effort as a helmsman and good in duels and as a perpetual blockade. Even dribbled a couple of times, and it’s been a long time since you’ve seen that from the big man.”
Vestergaard rolling back the years against Portugal
Portugal lined up with an impressive forward line, including Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Pedro Neto, yet Vestergaard held his own and delivered an exceptional performance, something no one has seen for ages.
It’s remarkable that he can go from being dropped by Leicester after some shocking displays to keeping a clean sheet against one of Europe’s best nations.
- 90 minutes played
- 8 clearances
- 3 interceptions
- 2 ground duels won
- 60/63 accurate passes (95%)
- 8/8 accurate long balls
- 1 successful dribble
The above metrics just prove that the towering centre-back is no longer playing for Van Nistelrooy but enjoys performing for his nation.
There’s an apparent rift between the player and manager at club level as Vestergaard refused to shake Van Nistelrooy’s hand after the loss against West Ham, and that could be why he’s put on a sensational display for Denmark.