Roald Jensen

Roald Jensen
Personal information
Date of birth (1943-01-11)11 January 1943
Place of birth Bergen, Norway
Date of death 6 October 1987(1987-10-06) (aged 44)
Place of death Bergen, Norway
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
1953–1956 Dynamo
1956–1959 Brann
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1960–1964 Brann 82 (51[1])
1965–1971 Heart of Midlothian 74 (19[2])
1971–1973 Brann 40 (9[3])
International career
1959–1960 Norway U19 2 (0 [4])
1960 Norway U21 0 (0[4])
1960–1971 Norway 31 (5[4])
Medal record
SK Brann
Gold medal – first place Norwegian Main League 1961–62
Gold medal – first place Norwegian First Division 1963
Gold medal – first place Norwegian Cup 1972
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Silver medal – second place Scottish Football League 1964–65
Silver medal – second place Scottish Cup 1967–68
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Roald Jensen (11 January 1943 – 6 October 1987),[5] nicknamed "Kniksen", was one of Norway's most celebrated football players. He played for SK Brann and Heart of Midlothian F.C. ("Hearts"). Knicksen is a local Bergen word meaning "juggler".

From an early age, Jensen was interested in football. He made his senior-team debut with Brann in 1960, while still only 17. He made his debut for the Norway national team the same year. Brann, with Jensen, won the league in 1961–62 and in 1963. After Brann's relegation in 1964, Jensen transferred to professional football in Scotland as Heart of Midlothian's first non-British player. While he was in Scotland, Jensen was unable to play for Norway, as the national team did not allow professional players at that time.

In 1971 Jensen returned to Brann and won the Norwegian championship (cup) with the club in 1972. Jensen retired from football after the 1973 season, when he was 30 years old. Jensen died in 1987 while playing football for Brann's old-boys' team. The Kniksen award, a prize that acclaims the best players in Norwegian football, is named after Jensen. In 1995 a statue of Jensen was erected outside Brann Stadion in Bergen.

  1. ^ Nielsen, pp. 213–217
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference personal Hearts stats was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Nielsen, pp. 224–226
  4. ^ a b c "Roald Jensen, 13.1.1943". fotball.no. Football Association of Norway. Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  5. ^ Roald Jensen's headstone, Gravminner i Norge