Julian Ryerson

The 26-year-old defender has been a Borussia Dortmund player since January 2023. As of June 2024 (the cut-off point for all statistics), the Norwegian has made 54 appearances for BVB in all competitions (five goals / two assists).

Thanks to his mentality and versatility, Julian Ryerson has proved to be an important signing. He made 33 starts across all competitions in the 2023/24 season, including 14 times as right-back and six times as left-back in the league. Among all defenders, only centre-back Keven Schlotterbeck (Bochum) scored more goals than Ryerson (five) – with the goals to make it 3-1 away to TSG Hoffenheim and 2-0 away to FC Bayern Munich the result of remarkable shows of energy and willpower. “I even played as a striker for Union in an away match in Bremen. For me, the most important thing is to be on the pitch,” he said of his versatility. “But it’s certainly also a quality that I can be deployed flexibly. Even at youth level, when I was playing with the older children, I switched positions: central defender, full-back, central midfielder, right winger. I got to know football in all positions.”

Ryerson made his debut with Viking Stavanger in his home country's top flight at the age of 17. Before his 20th birthday, he had already become a regular with the club, but then experienced relegation from the top tier in 2017. He moved to Union Berlin in 2018, but was not an immediate starter as the Köpenickers moved up from the Bundesliga 2 to the Bundesliga. That changed in December 2020. Having spent the first nine rounds of matches shuttling between a seat in the stands and one on the bench – making several substitute appearances – his name was missing from the starting line-up only six times throughout the remainder of the season. He was later promoted to the role of vice-captain.

“I already left home when I was 15. I left Lyngdal when I moved to Viking. So I’ve already been living on my own for 10 years. That has definitely helped me with this step. I’ve always been independent,” he told members’ magazine “Borussia” (August 2023 edition), adding: “German was a new language for me, although I knew a few bits and pieces from school. But when you’re so focused on football, you learn the most important words quickly. Nonetheless, the beginning was particularly challenging. Nothing was gifted to me. My direct rival for my position in Berlin was captain Christopher Trimmel. You grow with challenges like that.”

He made a total of 109 competitive appearances for Union, before moving to BVB in mid-January 2023. “It had to be something special for me to move away from Berlin. And Borussia Dortmund are a club that are very special, so I didn’t have to think for long about it. When I met with Sebastian Kehl for the first time, we signed the contract. The meeting lasted only one hour,” Ryerson told “Borussia”. “I've already been able to experience the atmosphere at Signal Iduna Park as an opposition player – I was impressed and I'm already excited to see how it will feel to have the famous Yellow Wall behind me.” The fans admire the fighting spirit and ambition of the Norway international, who made his debut for the senior national team on 18 November 2020.