Name: Nicolaj Ritter
               Age: 20 (8-5-1992)
          Position: Wing
              Club: Silkeborg IF
International caps: Denmark U20:  1 Match(es)
                                  0 Goal(s)
                    Denmark U19:  5 Match(es)
                                  1 Goal(s)
                    Denmark U18: 11 Match(es)
                                  0 Goal(s)
                    Denmark U17: 15 Match(es)
                                  1 Goal(s)
                    Denmark U16:  4 Match(es)
                                  0 Goal(s)
             Value: £175.000 (Transfermarkt.co.uk)
                  
”He is an aggressive, offensive player who loves to interfere in every situation of the match, even when he is not near the ball. He is a player who lives in the game and the type of player who can make things happen”
                                              - Keld Bordingaard, Coach of Silkeborg IF
 
Nicolaj Ritter moved around between minor clubs in North Jutland, before joining Aalborg BK. However, before his youth career was even started he joined the FC Midtjylland Academy, where he played together with last week’s talent Mads Hvilsom.
 
“It was a difficult choice to leave Aalborg. I was doing fine and thought that it was the club for me. However, after seeing the concept in FC Midtjylland, with the academy, the school and the pitches I fell in love with the idea. It seemed so professional at the Academy”.
Ritter joined Midtjylland at the age of fifteen, and thereby had most of his youth in the club. Here, he won two Danish youth Championships and participated in several international cups. It was also in Midtjylland Ritter found his way to the Danish youth national team. However, his senior debut was to be in another club. Last summer, the winger joined Silkeborg IF: 
 
“My time in Midtjylland was the best and I believe that it is the best place to be as a young player. However, I felt that I wouldn’t have any game time on the senior team. To develop I needed some senior game time and I felt that Silkeborg could give it to me”.
 
In the new club, Ritter went from being nobody to be in the starting XI. His debut in the best Danish league came, ironically, in the 2-1 win against his former club FC Midtjylland. However, the break trough is still to come, but one of the team mates in Silkeborg – former Bolton striker Henrik Pedersen – is sure this is the season for Ritter. The young winger is happy for the trust in him:
 
“I feel that I am getting better and better from every match I get, and I am proud and happy that a great player as Henrik, trust in me. I just hope I can live up to the expectations”.
 
Silkeborg coach Keld Bordingaard ensures that the break through is not impossible for Ritter, but he can’t “promise either Henrik or Ritter that it will happen.”

Since his transfer to Silkeborg, Nicolaj Ritter has been a part of the Danish U19 national team as well as the U20, where he had his debut this year. It is a dream for the young player, to play for the Danish senior national team, however; it is not something he worries about at the time. Instead, Ritter dreams to transfer to a foreign club one day: 
 
“If I have the chance in a couple of years, it is defiantly an opportunity. I would really like to experience life as a Dane in a foreign club.”

Ritter would prefer to play in the Dutch or Spanish league, and has Real Madrid as his favorite team. However, right now the talent keeps his feet on the Danish ground, and his coach urges him to stay there:
 
“Right now there is plenty of challenges for Ritter, in the Danish Superliga.”