Benjamin Harvey Nelson (born 18 March 2004) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Leicester City.

Club career

In the 2020–21 season, Nelson featured in a first-team squad during Leicester City's

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

campaign. He was named Academy Player of the Season at the end of the season. On 28 July 2022, Nelson joined

EFL League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

side

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

on a season-long loan. He was recalled from his loan on 6 January 2023. Later that month he joined Doncaster Rovers on loan for the remainder of the season. In 2023–24 season, Nelson was promoted to the first team. On 29 August 2023, he made his senior debut for Leicester as an 82nd-minute substitute for

James Justin James Michael Justin (born 23 February 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Leicester City and the England national team. Club career Luton Town Born in Luton, Bedfordshire, Justin joined Luton Town i ...

in a 2–0 away win over Tranmere Rovers in the Second Round of

EFL Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...

. On 8 December 2023, he signed a new contract until 2027. On 9 December 2023, he made his league debut in

EFL Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...

for Leicester as an 81st-minute substitute for

Jannik Vestergaard Jannik Vestergaard (born 3 August 1992) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Premier League club Leicester City and the Denmark national team. Vestergaard played for various Danish and German clubs before joining S ...

in a 4–0 win against

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

. On 2 March 2024, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 league defeat against Queens Park Rangers.

International career

Nelson is eligible to play for either England or Scotland. After making one appearance for Scotland's under-16 team, he made his England U18 debut starting in a 3–2 defeat against the Netherlands on 11 November 2021. On 21 September 2022, Nelson made his England U19 debut during a 2–0 2023 U19 EURO qualifying win over

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

. On 22 March 2024, Nelson made a goalscoring debut for the England Elite League squad during a 5-1 win over

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

at the Bialystok City Stadium.

Career statistics

Honours

Leicester City *

: 2023–24

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Ben 2004 births Living people English men's footballers Scottish men's footballers Men's association football defenders Leicester City F.C. players Rochdale A.F.C. players Doncaster Rovers F.C. players English Football League players Scotland men's youth international footballers England men's youth international footballers English people of Scottish descent