Tage Ivan Jensen, mostly known as Ivan Jensen for short (November 10, 1922 – January 26, 2009) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

association footballer, who won three Danish championships with amateur club Akademisk Boldklub and played professionally for Italian club

Bologna FC Bologna Football Club 1909, commonly referred to as Bologna (), is an Italian association football, professional football club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna that plays in Serie A, the top flight of Football in Italy, Italian football. The club ...

. He played 25 games and scored two goals for the

Denmark national football team The Denmark men's national football team ( da, Danmarks herre-fodboldlandshold or ''herrelandsholdet'') represents Denmark in men's international football competitions. It is controlled by the Danish Football Association (DBU), the governing bo ...

and won a

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...

at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

Biography

Born in Copenhagen, Hansen started playing with local clubs KFUM's Boldklub and Akademisk Boldklub (AB). He was a hard working defensive midfielder, physically imposing with a great stamina, but also an elegant player on and off the field. Jensen won three Danish championships with AB in 1943, 1945, and 1947, and made his debut for the

in September 1945. Even in his first international years, Ivan Jensen was known for his poor technique, and he and AB teammate Egon Mathiesen would practice for hours on end, before Jensen had taught himself a sufficient technique. He went on to play 25 games and score two goals for the national team, including four games as Denmark won a

at the

in London.Ivan Jensen - A-Landshold (Alle kampe)
at

Danish Football Association The Danish Football Union ( da, Dansk Boldspil-Union; DBU) is the governing body of football in Denmark. It is the organization of the Danish football clubs and runs the professional Danish football leagues and the men's and women's national t ...

Jensen signed a professional contract in 1949, and was excluded from further games with the amateur-only Danish national team.Jørgen Larsen, "Nekrolog: Den elegante arbejdsmand", Berlingske Tidende, January 29, 2009 He moved abroad to play professionally for Italian club

in the Serie A championship. He quickly gained popularity in Bologna, and was asked to recommend another Danish player for the club. He chose fellow Danish international Axel Pilmark, who was then signed. Jensen continued his technique training with Pilmark, now learning from one of the finest technicians of the game. The two complemented each other perfectly in the Bologna midfield, with Jensen the defensive anchor supporting Pilmark's offensive playmaking passes.Jens-Carl Kristensen, "85 år i dag: Den myreflittige fløjback", Berlingske Tidende, November 10, 2007 Ivan Jensen would even drop down into the Bologna back three, in effect transforming Bologna's formation into an elastic

4-3-3 In association football, the formation of a team refers to the position players take in relation to each other on a pitch. As association football is a fluid and fast-moving game, a player's position (with the exception of the goalkeeper) in a ...

, many years ahead of its time. Serie A rivals Juventus FC made an offer to buy Jensen during his time at Bologna, but Bologna chairman Renato Dall'Ara kept the bid a secret in order to keep his defensive star. Jensen spent seven seasons with Bologna, playing 180 games and scoring one goal in Serie A before he retired in 1956.Roberto Di Maggio
"Danish Players in Italy"
RSSSF, January 2, 2005. Jensen was an educated teacher, and attended several courses in

Roman history The history of Rome includes the history of the city of Rome as well as the civilisation of ancient Rome. Roman history has been influential on the modern world, especially in the history of the Catholic Church, and Roman law has influenced ma ...

at the University of Bologna during his time in Bologna. When he ended his playing career, he became a teacher in Gladsaxe. He studied at the University of Copenhagen, and became a gymnasium teacher in Lyngby. He continued playing amateur football until above the age of 70, and wrote a number of books on football. He died on January 26, 2009, in

Vedbæk Vedbæk is a wealthy suburban neighbourhood on the coast north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It belongs to Rudersdal Municipality and has merged with the town of Hørsholm to the north. The area has been inhabited for at least 7,000 years, as evidenced ...

.IVAN JENSEN
at Haslund.info

Honours

* Danish championships: 1943, 1945, 1947

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Ivan 1922 births 2009 deaths Danish men's footballers Denmark men's international footballers Akademisk Boldklub players Bologna FC 1909 players Footballers at the 1948 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Denmark Olympic bronze medalists for Denmark Danish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Olympic medalists in football Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Men's association football midfielders Danish expatriate sportspeople in Italy Footballers from Copenhagen