Pierre-Emile Højbjerg in 5 Facts

After scoring his first goal for the Marseille club in Ligue 1 McDonald’s against Montpellier Pierre-Emile Højbjerg has quickly become a central figure for Olympique de Marseille, consistently performing well this season. Let’s take a look at the player Roberto De Zerbi recently called “extraordinary” after OM’s demonstration against Montpellier (0-5), and whom Benoît Cheyrou, former Marseille player and current DAZN pundit, describes as “a coach on the field (...) reminiscent of Thiago Motta.”

Shining Through the Stats

Højbjerg is the player who has touched the ball the most this season, reaching 901 touches – the only player to surpass 900 – far ahead of Parisian Pacho (775). With a 94% pass success rate, he also leads Ligue 1 McDonald's in successful passes, with 783. Furthermore, he’s the only player in the league with over 100 line-breaking passes (113). 

These three stats illustrate his influence on De Zerbi’s gameplay. An essential part of OM’s build-up, the former Spurs player is also impactful on the defensive side, recovering 60 balls, the highest total this season, ahead of Zakaria (ASM, 56). Additionally, no one has made more successful tackles (17) or interceptions (17) than him.

His French Roots

"My mother met my father in Paris. My brother was born in Paris, and my parents then moved to Denmark, where I was born. My grandparents have a house in the French countryside (in Tournus), so we spent our summers here, and speaking French feels natural," Højbjerg explained at his official presentation in mid-August.

His perfect command of French has naturally eased his integration into the Marseille dressing room.

This also explains why his first name sounds more French than Scandinavian. "In Denmark, people would say, ‘Are you French?’ With my name, it didn’t sound typical of the country. And when I came to France, people would ask where I was from because of my accent – I wasn’t fully French."

Born and raised in Copenhagen, Højbjerg also holds French nationality, and he has often embraced his French roots, stating, “I’m proud of my French heritage and always see myself as half-French.”

His ties to France even led him to a one-week trial with FC Metz during his youth, though it wasn’t a positive experience for the current OM player.

However, his visit to the Stade de France with his national team in June 2022 for “his derby” against Les Bleus in the Nations League was more memorable. In front of around ten family members from France, Pierre-Emile celebrated a 2-1 win.

At one point, he almost became a Bleuet (a youth French international). Willy Sagnol, the former Bayern Munich left-back, noticed his talent upon his arrival in Bavaria in 2012, just before his seventeenth birthday. As coach of the French U21s, Sagnol was aware of Højbjerg’s dual nationality and tried to persuade him to join. However, committed to Denmark’s youth system, Højbjerg stayed loyal to his first nation: “It was the Danish coaches who fought to help me reach the top. Changing national teams would have been disrespectful to them.”

Transfer to OM Facilitated by Ties with Benatia

Despite being a key starter in a team high in the Premier League standings, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg chose Marseille and Ligue 1 McDonald’s this summer. His connection with Medhi Benatia, the Marseille president’s sports advisor, whom he met ten years ago at Bayern Munich, was a decisive factor. The Olympian leader explained, “The good thing about Pierre was that he told me, ‘Look, I have options in England and Italy, but if you reach an agreement with Tottenham, I’ll come to you.’ From that point, I was at ease because I know he’s a man of his word.”

During his time in Munich, young Højbjerg was making his first strides in top-flight football after completing his training at Brøndby. There, he became the youngest player in Bayern history to play an official match – breaking David Alaba’s record by four days – at 17 years and 251 days.

A Natural Leader

Much like his record-setting debut in Germany, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg exudes remarkable maturity. “In the team’s life, he’s already a huge presence, but it’s natural. He doesn’t force it; it’s just who he is. I knew him at Bayern when he was 18, and he was already like that,” Medhi Benatia said on beIN Sports about his former teammate.

This season, he’s even worn the captain’s armband in Balerdi’s absence. As early as August, he set the tone, showing his ambition, particularly against PSG in the title race. “We’ll see where we are at the end of the season. The important thing is to prepare well for each weekend. Where we are in nine months, we’ll find out.”

And in the few challenging moments for OM this season, Højbjerg has always stepped up. Following the loss in Alsace to RCSA (1-0), he was the first to speak for the team in a DAZN interview, taking accountability: “We didn’t live up to our standard. We were a step or two behind in intensity. We need to improve. We lacked intensity, fire.”