Sivert Heltne Nilsen

Sivert Heltne Nilsen
Personal information
Date of birth (1991-10-02) 2 October 1991
Place of birth Bergen, Norway
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
Haugesund
Number 14
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)
2024–2026 Aberdeen 40 (1)
2026– Haugesund 14 (1)
International career‡
2013–2015 Norway U23 2 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 7 July 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 26 March 2015

Sivert Heltne Nilsen (born 2 October 1991) is a Norwegian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Norwegian First Division club Haugesund. 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.

Club career

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

As of 7 July 2026[9][10]
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Hødd 2009 2. divisjon 10000———100
2010 2. divisjon 19100———191
2011 1. divisjon 29110———301
2012 1. divisjon 29370———363
2013 1. divisjon 29330—1[c]01[d]0343
Total 1168110—10101298
Vålerenga 2014 Eliteserien 28033———313
2015 Eliteserien 13010———140
Total 41043———453
Brann 2015 1. divisjon 10000———100
2016 Eliteserien 28310———293
2017 Eliteserien 27131—2[c]01[e]0332
2018 Eliteserien 15230———182
Total 80671—2010907
Horsens 2018–19 Danish Superliga 27100——1[f]0281
2019–20 Danish Superliga 5000———50
Total 32100——10331
Elfsborg 2019 Allsvenskan 10100———101
2020 Allsvenskan 23130———261
Total 33230———362
Waasland-Beveren 2020–21 Belgian First Division A 9010——2[g]0120
Total 9010——20120
Brann 2021 Eliteserien 15010——1[h]1171
2022 1. divisjon 29530———325
2023 Eliteserien 29981—4[i]0—4110
2024 Eliteserien 15230———182
Total 8814151—401110816
Aberdeen 2024–25 Scottish Premiership 2602060——340
2025–26 Scottish Premiership 141301140—222
Total 401507140—562
Haugesund 2026 Norwegian First Division 14100———141
Career Total 45333465711106052339
  1. ↑ Includes Norwegian Cup, Danish Cup, Svenska Cupen, Belgian Cup, Scottish Cup
  2. ↑ Includes Scottish League Cup
  3. 1 2 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

Hødd

Brann

Aberdeen

References

  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. 1 2 3 4 5 Sivert Heltne Nilsen at Soccerway