Oliver Abildgaard

Last updated

Oliver Abildgaard
Oliver Abildgaard 2020.jpg
Abildgaard with Rubin Kazan in 2020
Personal information
Full name Oliver Abildgaard Nielsen
Date of birth (1996-06-10) 10 June 1996 (age 29)
Place of birth Hasseris, Denmark
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Sampdoria
Youth career
–2006 Aalborg Freja
2006–2015 AaB
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2015–2020 AaB 79 (3)
2020 → Rubin Kazan (loan) 5 (0)
2020–2023 Rubin Kazan 54 (1)
2022–2023 → Celtic (loan) 6 (0)
2023 → Hellas Verona (loan) 13 (0)
2023–2025 Como 29 (2)
2024–2025 → Pisa (loan) 24 (0)
2025– Sampdoria 0 (0)
International career
2015 Denmark U20 1 (0)
2016–2019 Denmark U21 12 (2)
2020 Denmark 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 May 2025

Oliver Abildgaard Nielsen (born 10 June 1996) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Italian Serie B club Sampdoria.

Contents

Club career

AaB

Abildgaard began his football career with Aalborg Freja before joining the youth academy of AaB at the age of ten. [1] He was promoted to AaB's first-team squad in the summer of 2015 alongside Jannik Pohl from the club's under-19 side. [2]

Abildgaard made his senior debut on 20 July 2015, starting in a 1–1 draw against Esbjerg in the Danish Superliga. [3] He conceded a penalty that led to Esbjerg's opening goal but later scored the equaliser. [4] He made his Danish Cup debut later that year, featuring against local rivals Vendsyssel FF. [5] [6]

During his first season, Abildgaard made 14 league appearances, including seven starts. [7] Over the following two campaigns, he remained primarily a squad player. [7] In the 2016–17 season, AaB finished the regular season in the relegation round and subsequently qualified for the European play-offs, where they were eliminated by Randers. [8] In the 2017–18 season, the club progressed to the championship round, with Abildgaard making seven appearances, six as a starter. [7]

The 2018–19 season marked a breakthrough for Abildgaard, as he became a more regular presence in the starting lineup. [9] However, his campaign was curtailed by a back injury sustained during the relegation round. [10] [11] In the first half of the 2019–20 season, he continued to feature regularly, albeit not consistently in the starting eleven. At that time, his contract with AaB was set to run until 2022. [1]

Rubin Kazan

On 3 February 2020, Abildgaard joined Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan on loan, with an option to buy at the end of the 2019–20 season. [12] He made his debut for the club on 1 March 2020 in a league match against Tambov, starting the game before being substituted around the hour mark by Zuriko Davitashvili; the match ended in a goalless draw.

On 20 June 2020, AaB confirmed that Rubin Kazan had exercised the purchase option, with Abildgaard signing a permanent contract until 30 June 2024. [13] He quickly became a regular starter and was an important figure during the 2020–21 season, helping Rubin Kazan finish fourth in the Russian Premier League and qualify for the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League. The club entered the competition in the third qualifying round, where they were eliminated by Polish side Raków Częstochowa. In the 2021–22 season, Abildgaard continued to feature regularly, often playing the full 90 minutes, although he missed part of the campaign due to muscular issues. Rubin Kazan were relegated from the Russian Premier League at the end of the season.

Loan to Celtic

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIFA introduced regulations allowing foreign players in Russia to suspend their contracts until the end of the 2021–22 season and sign with clubs outside the country during that period. [14] On 1 September 2022, Abildgaard moved on loan to Celtic in Scotland for the 2022–23 season. [15] [16] Due to lack of playing time, Abildgaard's loan spell at Celtic was terminated.

Loan to Hellas Verona

On 31 January 2023, he joined Serie A club Hellas Verona on a loan-deal for the remainder of the season. [17]

Como

On 12 July 2023, Abildgaard joined Serie B club Como on a three-year deal. [18] On 30 August 2024, he was loaned to Pisa in Serie B, with an option to buy. [19]

Sampdoria

On 20 August 2025, Abildgaard moved to Sampdoria on a two-season deal. [20]

International career

Abildgaard made one appearance for the Denmark under-20 national team before progressing to the under-21 level. He debuted for the Denmark U21 team on 20 January 2016 in a goalless friendly against Ukraine in Belek, Turkey. [21] Abildgaard was later selected for the squad that competed at the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Italy and San Marino. [22] He featured once during the tournament, playing in the group stage match against defending champions Germany, as Denmark were eliminated after the group phase. [23]

On 11 November 2020, Abildgaard earned his first senior cap for Denmark, appearing in a friendly match against Sweden. [24] [25]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 25 April 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueCupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
AaB 2015–16 Danish Superliga 14120—161
2016–17 Danish Superliga12020—140
2017–18 Danish Superliga17010—180
2018–19 Danish Superliga25120—271
2019–20 Danish Superliga11111—122
Total7938100874
Rubin Kazan (loan) 2019–20 Russian Premier League 110——110
Rubin Kazan 2020–21 Russian Premier League28010—290
2021–22 Russian Premier League201002 [a] 0221
Total5911020621
Celtic (loan) 2022–23 Scottish Premiership 601 [b] 02 [c] 090
Hellas Verona (loan) 2022–23 Serie A 130——130
Como 2023–24 Serie B 28210—292
2024–25 Serie A1000—10
Total29210—302
Pisa (loan) 2024–25 Serie B21010—220
Career total2076121402237
  1. ↑ Appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League
  2. ↑ Appearances in the Scottish League Cup
  3. ↑ Appearances in the UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 11 November 2020
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Denmark
202010
Total10

References

  1. 1 2 "Abildgaard i AaB til 2022". AaB Sport (in Danish). 20 June 2018. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  2. ↑ "Tre talenter får chancen i Superligatruppen". AaB Sport (in Danish). 13 June 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  3. ↑ "AaB vs. Esbjerg 1–1: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  4. ↑ "Ung AaB'er om vild debut: En stor oplevelse". TV 3 Sport (in Danish). 20 July 2015. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "AaB overbevisende videre i DBU Pokalen". AaB Sport (in Danish). 9 September 2015. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  6. ↑ "Vendsyssel vs. AaB 0–2: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 19 June 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 Oliver Abildgaard at Soccerway
  8. ↑ "Randers kommer tættere på Europa efter udesejr over AaB". TV 2 Sport (in Danish). 12 May 2017. Archived from the original on 27 April 2025. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  9. ↑ Olsson, Søren (2 July 2019). "Østeuropæisk storklub er ude efter Abildgaard". Nordjyske (in Danish). Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  10. ↑ Schmidt, Martin (12 April 2019). "Rygsmerter holder Abildgaard ude af AaB-trup". Bold (in Danish). Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  11. ↑ "Ryggen driller stadig Abildgaard: - Jeg havde håbet på at være helt smertefri". Nordjyske (in Danish). 7 May 2019. Archived from the original on 27 April 2025. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  12. ↑ AaB udlejer indtil 30. juni 2020 Oliver Abildgaard til den russiske klub FC Rubin Kazan på en aftale med købsoption, aabsport.dk, 3 February 2020
  13. ↑ "Abildgaard skifter permanent til FC Rubin Kazan" (in Danish). AaB. 20 June 2020.
  14. ↑ "FIFA adopts temporary employment and registration rules to address several issues in relation to war in Ukraine". FIFA. 7 March 2022.
  15. ↑ ""СЕЛТИК" АРЕНДОВАЛ У "РУБИНА" ОЛИВЕРА АБИЛЬДГОРА" [Celtic loaned Oliver Abildgaard from Rubin] (in Russian). Rubin Kazan. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  16. ↑ "Oliver Abildgaard: Celtic sign midfielder from Rubin Kazan". BBC Sport. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  17. ↑ Innesto danese a centrocampo: Oliver Abildgaard Nielsen è gialloblù, hellasverona.it, 31 January 2023
  18. ↑ COMO 1907 È LIETA DI ANNUNCIARE L'INGAGGIO DEL CENTROCAMPISTA DANESE OLIVER ABILDGAARD Archived 2 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine , comofootball.com, 12 July 2023
  19. ↑ "Oliver Abildgaard è del Pisa!" [Oliver Abildgaard is at Pisa!] (in Italian). Pisa. 30 August 2024. Archived from the original on 31 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  20. ↑ "Abildgaard è blucerchiato: dal Como a titolo definitivo" [Abildgaard joins Sampdoria on a permanent deal from Como] (in Italian). UC Sampdoria. 20 August 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  21. ↑ "Danmark – Ukraine 0–0". DBU (in Danish). Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  22. ↑ Schmidt, Martin (21 June 2019). "Tættere på U21-landsholdet: Oliver Abildgaard". Bold (in Danish). Archived from the original on 21 June 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  23. ↑ Asferg, Mikkel (24 June 2019). "U21-profiler gør status efter EM: Ærgerligt og bittert". TV 2 Sport (in Danish). Archived from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  24. ↑ Jensen, Claus (9 November 2020). "Så kom opkaldet: Abildgaard udtaget til fodboldlandsholdet". Nordjyske (in Danish). Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  25. ↑ Nielsen, Ronni Burkal (11 November 2020). "Indskiftere sørger for dansk sejr over Sverige". TV 2 Sport (in Danish). Archived from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
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