Born in Norway on 17 November 1997, Julian Ryerson is an established defender who has proven his mettle primarily as a right back. Currently plying his trade at Borussia Dortmund, the 26-year-old stands at 6 feet (1.83m) tall and weighs a solid 13st 7lb (86kg). At Dortmund, he sports the number 26 jersey and has earned acclaim for his performances both at the club and national level for Norway.
As of now, his market value stands at a comfortable £17m (Transfermarkt), with his contract with Borussia Dortmund set to expire on 30 June 2026, following an extension of 1 year and 9 months.
Ryerson's footballing journey started at Viking in the Eliteserien in his native Norway in July 2015. In his debut season, he managed a mere single league appearance for the first team. However, showing early signs of persistence, he went on to secure 18 first team appearances and even scored his first professional goal in the next season (2016), rapidly increasing his tally to 28 appearances and three goals in the 2017 season.
In July 2018, he saw a life-changing move, transferring from Viking to Union Berlin in the Bundesliga for an undisclosed fee. Ryerson once again had to establish himself in the first team, securing eight league appearances in the 2018-2019 season. Come 2019-2020, he scored 14 appearances, followed by 24 in 2020-2021 and 28 appearances with two goals to his name in the 2021-2022 season. During his final season at Union Berlin (2022-2023), he made 13 league appearances.
January 2023 saw him leapfrogging from Union Berlin to Borussia Dortmund, also in the Bundesliga, for an estimated fee of around £4.5m. Since his transfer, he has claimed a steady position in the Dortmund line-up, making 17 league appearances with one goal in the 2022-2023 season. His playing time increased to 21 appearances and four goals in the 2023-2024 season. In the current season (2024-2025), he has already clocked six first team appearances and found the back of the net once.
Ryerson's professional career has further been embellished with international duty for Norway and deep runs in the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund. He has notably made ten starts in the 2023-2024 Champions League, five starts and two substitute appearances in the Euro Qualifiers 2022-2024 for Norway, four starts for Norway in the 2024-2025 Nations League, and two starts in the Champions League 2024-2025.
