Sivert Heltne Nilsen, born on the 2nd of October 1991, is a Norwegian midfielder who typically plays in a central defensive midfield position for Aberdeen. He measures 6ft (1.84m) in height and weighs a solid 12st 3lb (78kg). Nilsen can be recognised on the pitch by his number 6 jersey.
As of the current day, his market value hovers around the €400k mark, or approximately £340k. This is according to the useful resource of Transfermarkt. His contract with Aberdeen has about two years and seven months left and is due to expire on the 30th of June 2027.
After turning professional, in January 2009, Heltne Nilsen first joined Hødd in Norway's 2. Divisjon. Five years later, in January 2014, he moved from Hødd to Valerenga, a club in OBOS-ligaen, the second highest football league in Norway. He was solid during his time at Valerenga, making 28 first-team appearances in his debut season, and adding 13 more appearances the following season of 2015.
In July 2015, another transfer was on the horizon for our Norwegian midfielder. This time it moved him from Valerenga to Brann in the Eliteserien. Brann's match reports record him making ten first-team appearances later that season. He continued to be a consistent figure on the field, with 28 appearances and three goals in 2016, 27 appearances and one goal in 2017, and 15 appearances along with two goals in 2018. Even in the 2021 season at Brann, Heltne Nilsen maintained regular appearances, notching 15 first-team appearances. His efforts in the 2023 season were particularly effective, securing nine goals from 29 appearances.
Despite the impressive display at Brann, Heltne Nilsen moved again in July 2018 to AC Horsens in Denmark's 1. division. He clearly settled into the new team, making 22 first team appearances and scoring one goal in the 2018-2019 season. However, opportunity came again in August 2019, until then he moved to IF Elfsborg in the Swedish top-flight, the Allsvenskan, where he made ten first-team appearances and scored one goal in the remainder of the 2019 season.
This path led him at the beginning of 2021 to Belgium, where Waasland-Beveren in the Derde Klasse purchased him for a fee of approximately £400k. Unsurprisingly, he took to the field with his usual vigour, managing nine first-team appearances in the 2020-2021 season. His time in Belgium was short-lived as he returned to familiar shores, and Brann, in August 2021. He added a healthy number of appearances and goals to his record at the club.
Aberdeen, a team cast in the hills of the Scottish Premiership, noticed his consistent performance and purchased him for around £300k in July 2024. The season is, at the time of writing, still ongoing, and Heltne Nilsen has thus far made 14 first-team appearances. He even had the chance to display his skills in the roundup of the League Cup 2024 - 2025 for Aberdeen, where he started on six occasions.
