Sivert Heltne Nilsen (born 2 October 1991) is a Norwegian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen. He has previously played for IL Hødd, Vålerenga Fotball, SK Brann, AC Horsens, IF Elfsborg and Waasland-Beveren and has represented his country at youth level.[1] He is the son of former Hødd and Brann manager Lars Arne Nilsen.

Sivert Heltne Nilsen
Personal information
Date of birth (1991-10-02) 2 October 1991 (age 33)
Place of birth Bergen, Norway
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Central Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Aberdeen
Number 6
Youth career
Volda
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2013 Hødd 116 (8)
2014–2015 Vålerenga 41 (0)
2015–2018 Brann 80 (6)
2018–2019 Horsens 32 (1)
2019–2021 Elfsborg 33 (2)
2021 Waasland-Beveren 9 (0)
2021–2024 Brann 88 (14)
2024– Aberdeen 4 (0)
International career
2013–2015 Norway U23 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 September 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2015

Club career

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Heltne Nilsen started his professional career at Norwegian Second Division side IL Hødd. He started the 2012 Norwegian Football Cup final, playing the full match and scoring in the penalty shootout to help his team win its first cup title.[2]

In January 2014, Heltne Nilsen moved to Vålerenga.[3] He went to SK Brann in July 2015.[4]

In July 2018, Heltne Nilsen moved to Danish Superliga side AC Horsens. He signed a five-year contract with the club,[5] but was sold to Swedish club IF Elfsborg in 2019.[6] After a brief spell with Belgium's Waasland-Beveren, Heltne Nilsen rejoined Brann for three years.[7] In 2024, he reunited with former manager Jimmy Thelin at the latter's new club, Aberdeen, in the Scottish Premiership.[8]

Career statistics

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As of 1 September 2024[9][10]
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Hødd 2009 2. divisjon 10 0 0 0 10 0
2010 19 1 0 0 19 1
2011 1. divisjon 29 1 1 0 30 1
2012 29 3 7 0 36 3
2013 29 3 3 0 1[c] 0 1[d] 0 34 3
Total 116 8 11 0 1 0 1 0 129 8
Vålerenga 2014 Eliteserien 28 0 3 3 31 3
2015 13 0 1 0 14 0
Total 41 0 4 3 45 3
Brann 2015 1. divisjon 10 0 0 0 10 0
2016 Eliteserien 28 3 1 0 29 3
2017 27 1 3 1 2[c] 0 1[e] 0 33 2
2018 15 2 3 0 18 2
Total 80 6 7 1 2 0 1 0 90 7
Horsens 2018–19 Danish Superliga 27 1 0 0 1[f] 0 28 1
2019–20 5 0 0 0 5 0
Total 32 1 0 0 1 0 33 1
Elfsborg 2019 Allsvenskan 10 1 0 0 10 1
2020 23 1 3 0 26 1
Total 33 2 3 0 36 2
Waasland-Beveren 2020–21 Belgian First Division A 9 0 1 0 2[g] 0 12 0
Total 9 0 1 0 2 0 12 0
Brann 2021 Eliteserien 15 0 1 0 1[h] 1 17 1
2022 1. divisjon 29 5 3 0 32 5
2023 Eliteserien 29 9 8 1 4[i] 0 41 10
2024 15 2 3 0 18 2
Total 88 14 15 1 4 0 1 1 108 16
Aberdeen 2024–25 Scottish Premiership 4 0 0 0 4 0 8 0
Career Total 403 31 41 5 4 0 7 0 6 0 461 37
  1. ^ Includes Norwegian Cup, Danish Cup, Svenska Cupen, Belgian Cup, Scottish Cup
  2. ^ Includes Scottish League Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Appearance in 1. divisjon promotion play-offs
  5. ^ Appearance in Mesterfinalen
  6. ^ Appearance in Danish Superliga relegation play-offs
  7. ^ Appearances in Belgian First Division Relegation play-offs
  8. ^ Appearance in Eliteserien play-offs
  9. ^ Appearances in UEFA Conference League

Honours

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Hødd

Brann

References

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  1. ^ Wulf, Tina (10 October 2014). "Sivert Heltne Nilsen på U23-landslaget" (in Norwegian). VIF-fotball.no. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  2. ^ Hjellen, Bjørnar (25 November 2012). "Askeladden vant kongepokalen: – Ubeskrivelig fantastisk deilig" (in Norwegian). NRK. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  3. ^ Myklebust, Marius (30 July 2013). "Sivert Heltne Nilsen går til Vålerenga" (in Norwegian). Vikebladet. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  4. ^ "Brann-treneren har hentet sønnen" (in Norwegian). Bergensavisen. 20 July 2015. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  5. ^ "AC Horsens forstærker midtbanen med norsk profil" (in Danish). AC Horsens. 30 July 2018. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  6. ^ AC Horsens sælger Sivert Heltne Nilsen til IF Elfsborg, achorsens.dk, 14 August 2019 He rejoined SK Brann in 2021 after a short Belgian spell
  7. ^ Cryle, Ryan (11 July 2024). "Ex-Aberdeen star says Sivert Heltne Nilsen is 'rock-solid midfielder', but £300k signing has had 'love-hate' time with Brann fans". Press and Journal. Archived from the original on 12 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Sivert Heltne Nilsen earns Ryan Jack comparison as Aberdeen FC fans given inside scoop by ex Dons teammate". Yahoo News. 11 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  9. ^ Sivert Heltne Nilsen at the Norwegian Football Federation (in Norwegian)
  10. ^ a b c d Sivert Heltne Nilsen at Soccerway