Andreas Bjelland

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Andreas Bjelland (born 11 July 1988) is a Danish-Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back and is now the assistant manager at Lyngby. He began his career in Denmark with Lyngby and established himself in the Danish top flight with FC Nordsjælland, before playing in the Netherlands and England for FC Twente and Brentford. He returned to Denmark to play for F.C. Copenhagen in 2018 and finished his playing career with Lyngby in 2025.

Bjelland grew up in Fredensborg, Denmark, with a Norwegian father and Danish mother. He started at local clubs Fredensborg BI and BSV before joining Lyngby’s youth system in 2001. He made his senior debut for Lyngby in 2006 and later moved to FC Nordsjælland in 2009, where he helped the team win the Danish Cup in 2010–11 and the Danish Superliga in 2011–12, earning recognition as a key defender.

In November 2011 he signed with Dutch club FC Twente, where injuries limited his early years but he became captain in the 2014–15 season. He left Twente in 2015 to join Brentford in England, where he stayed until 2018 and made over 60 appearances. Bjelland then transferred to F.C. Copenhagen, contributing to the 2018–19 league title and a run to the Europa League quarter-finals in 2019–20. He spent the 2021–22 season on loan at Lyngby before returning there on a permanent deal in 2022. A broken ankle in 2022 delayed his progress, but he continued playing and extended his contract in 2023.

Internationally, Bjelland represented Denmark at under-16, under-18, under-19 and under-21 levels, captaining the U21 side and playing in the 2011 European U21 Championship. He earned 29 senior caps and scored two goals for Denmark, making his full international debut in 2010 and being part of the Euro 2012 squad.

In January 2025, Bjelland took on the role of assistant to head coach Morten Karlsen at Lyngby after retiring from playing. He also became a minority owner of Lyngby in 2018 following an investment in the club. He is known for his versatility, occasionally playing as a full-back or defensive midfielder, and hails from a football-following family — he has a brother Thomas who played at amateur level and two daughters.