Thelo Aasgaard

Thelo Aasgaard
Personal information
Full name Thelonious Gerard Aasgaard[1]
Date of birth (2002-05-02) 2 May 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth Liverpool, England
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Wigan Athletic
Number 10
Youth career
2010–2016 Liverpool
2016–2020 Wigan Athletic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– Wigan Athletic 133 (21)
International career‡
2018 Norway U16 3 (0)
2021–2023 Norway U20 5 (1)
2023– Norway U21 11 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:22, 14 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2024

Thelonious "Thelo" Gerard Aasgaard (born 2 May 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Wigan Athletic. Born in England, he represents Norway at youth level.

Early life and youth career

Aasgaard was born in Liverpool in 2002. Both of his parents have musical backgrounds; his father Jonathan is a professional cellist, and his mother Georgina is a music and health practitioner.[3] Aasgaard joined the youth academy of Wigan Athletic at the age of 14, having previously been a part of the youth set-up at Liverpool,[4] and signed scholarship forms with the club in 2018.[5] His progress in the academy ranks was interrupted by injuries during the following two seasons,[3] but he impressed enough for his scholarship deal to be extended for a third year in 2020.[6]

Club career

As a result of Wigan being put into administration in the 2019–20 season, and the team's subsequent relegation from the Championship, Aasgaard was promoted to the club's first-team squad along with several other academy players for their 2020–21 League One campaign.

Aasgaard made his professional debut with Wigan in a 1–0 EFL League One loss at home to Peterborough United on 20 October 2020.[7] He scored his first goal for Wigan in a 2–1 defeat against Oxford United on 21 November 2020.[8] In January 2021, Aasgaard signed his first professional contract with Wigan, signing until the summer of 2023.[9] He ended his first season having played 35 times in all competitions, including 13 league starts, scoring three goals.[10]

After a solid start to the 2021/22 season, Aasgaard signed an improved four-and-a-half-year contract, running until June 2026.[11] In July 2023, he signed a further contract extension until 2028.[12]

International career

Aasgaard was born in Liverpool, England, and is of Norwegian descent through his father, and of French descent through his mother.[13]

He represented the Norway under-16 team three times in 2018.[14]

In August 2021, Aasgaard was called up to the Norway under-20 team for the first time, and made his debut on the right of midfield in their 1–1 draw with Germany under-20 on 6 September 2021.[15]

Career statistics

As of match played 27 April 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Wigan Athletic 2020–21[10] League One 33 3 1 0 0 0 1[a] 0 35 3
2021–22[16] League One 5 1 2 1 2 0 5[a] 0 14 2
2022–23[16] Championship 41 3 2 1 1 0 0 0 44 4
2023–24[16] League One 35 8 2 1 1 0 1 0 39 8
Career total 114 15 7 3 4 0 7 0 132 18
  1. ^ a b Appearances in the EFL Trophy

References

  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Wigan Athletic" (PDF). English Football League. p. 75. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  2. ^ Thelo Aasgaard at WorldFootball.net
  3. ^ a b "Feature: How music is helping Thelo Aasgaard become pitch perfect". The English Football League. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  4. ^ "Thelo Aasgaard: A Proud Moment For Me And My Family". Wigan Athletic. 21 November 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  5. ^ "10 Youngsters Offered Scholarships For Next Season". Wigan Athletic. 21 December 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  6. ^ "U23 and U18 Retained List". Wigan Athletic. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Wigan Athletic vs. Peterborough United - 20 October 2020 - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  8. ^ ""Wigan 1-2 Oxford"". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Thelo Aasgaard pens first professional contract". Wigan Athletic Official Site. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Games played by Thelo Aasgaard in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Wigan Athletic star agrees new long-term deal". Wigan Today. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Thelo Aasgaard: Wigan Athletic midfielder signs new deal". BBC Sport. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  13. ^ "Wigan Athletic duo receive international call-ups". www.wigantoday.net. 25 August 2021.
  14. ^ Thelo Aasgaard at the Norwegian Football Federation (in Norwegian)
  15. ^ ""GER 1-1 NOR / Germany-Norway / Match Summary"". FlashScore.com. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  16. ^ a b c "Games played by Thelo Aasgaard in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 February 2022.