Leo Hjelde, born on 26 August 2003 (age 22), is a Norwegian central defender now with Mechelen. Celtic were an early stop in his senior path, taking him from Rosenborg in July 2019, before his career moved on before he could become a first-team regular in Glasgow.
His clearest early run in Scottish senior football came in 2020-21 at Ross County, where he made 11 league appearances and scored once. That remains his most productive league season in front of goal, modest as that sounds for a centre-half.
Hjelde left Celtic for Leeds United in August 2021. From there his career took him through Leeds and Mechelen, with a more established spell later at Sunderland, before his current period back in Belgium with Mechelen. In 2026-27, he has made one Pro League appearance for the club.
His career so far has been shaped by early promise at Celtic, a move into English football with Leeds, and a gradual attempt to settle as a senior defender across England and Belgium.
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