Jan Johnsen Sørensen (14 May 1955 – 16 February 2024) was a Danish professional
footballer who played as a
striker. He most notably played professionally for Belgian club
Club Brugge
(), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,062. as well as
FC Twente
Football Club Twente () is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, sometimes known internationally as Twente Enschede. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions Sportclub Enschede with Enschedes ...
,
Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its ...
and
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...
in the Netherlands. He played 11 matches and scored three goals for the
Denmark national team from 1977 to 1980.
Career
Sørensen started his career with
Glostrup IC before joining
BK Frem
Boldklubben Frem (also known as Frem, BK Frem or BK Frem Copenhagen) is a Danish sports club based in the Valby-Sydhavnen area of Copenhagen. It is best known for its semi-professional football team. Since its foundation in 1886, Frem has w ...
in Denmark ahead of the 1977 season. He proceeded to move abroad to play professionally for Belgian team
Club Brugge
(), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,062. in 1977. He reached the 1978
European Cup
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
final with Club Brugge, which was lost to English club
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
. He played six seasons at Club Brugge, scoring a total of 63 goals in 185 matches, and winning two Belgian
Jupiler League championships. He left the club in 1983, and moved to the Netherlands to play for
FC Twente
Football Club Twente () is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, sometimes known internationally as Twente Enschede. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions Sportclub Enschede with Enschedes ...
,
Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its ...
,
Excelsior
Excelsior, a Latin comparative word often translated as "ever upward" or "even higher", may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Literature and poetry
* "Excelsior" (Longfellow), an 1841 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
* ''Excelsior'' (Macedo ...
and
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...
. He ended his active career with
Portimonense SC
Portimonense Sporting Clube is a Portuguese sports club based in Portimão. Founded on 14 August 1914, it is most notable for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football. It a ...
in Portugal.
Following his retirement, he was appointed manager of
Walsall FC
Walsall Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Walsall, West Midlands, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club's nickname, "The Saddlers", reflects ...
in June 1997. He spent 11 months at the club, leaving again in May 1998. He later became sports director of Danish club
Hvidovre IF
Hvidovre Idrætsforening, more commonly known as Hvidovre IF () is a Danish professional football club based in Hvidovre. The club competes in the Danish 1st Division, the second tier of Danish football, and plays its home matches at the Hvidovre ...
.
Later life and death
Jan ran a pub called the ''Prince of Wales'' in the Tamworth area.
Sørensen died following a long illness on 16 February 2024, at the age of 68.
Career statistics
:''Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sørensen goal.''
Honours
Player
Club Brugge
*
Belgian First Division
The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 season and reduced to 16 tea ...
:
1977–78,
1979–80
*
Belgian Cup
The Belgian Cup (french: link=no, Coupe de Belgique; nl, Beker van België []; german: link=no, Belgischer Fußballpokal) is the main Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in Belgium, run by the Belgia ...
runner-up: 1978–79, 1982–83
*
Belgian Supercup
The Belgian Super Cup ( nl, Belgische Supercup, ; french: Supercoupe de Belgique; german: Belgischer Fußball-Super Cup), ''Pro League Supercup'', is a Belgian club competition played as a single match between the Belgian First Division A champio ...
: 1980
*
European Champion Clubs' Cup
The European Champion Clubs' Cup, also known as Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens, or simply the European Cup, is a trophy awarded annually by UEFA to the football club that wins the UEFA Champions League. The competition in its older forma ...
runner-up:
1977–78
*
Jules Pappaert Cup
Trophy Jules Pappaert or Pappaert cup is a Belgian football trophy since 1953 and is awarded annually to a club in the first, second or third division of the Belgian Pro League with the longest uninterrupted series of unbeaten games.
The award i ...
: 1978
*
Bruges Matins: 1979, 1981
*
Japan Cup Kirin World Soccer: 1981
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorensen, Jan
1955 births
2024 deaths
People from Glostrup Municipality
Danish men's footballers
Footballers from the Capital Region of Denmark
Men's association football forwards
Denmark men's international footballers
Belgian Pro League players
Eredivisie players
Primeira Liga players
Boldklubben Frem players
Club Brugge KV players
FC Twente players
Feyenoord players
Excelsior Rotterdam players
AFC Ajax players
Portimonense S.C. players
Danish football managers
Portimonense S.C. managers
Walsall F.C. managers
Danish expatriate men's footballers
Danish expatriate football managers
Danish expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium
Danish expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands
Danish expatriate sportspeople in Portugal
Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal
Danish expatriate sportspeople in England
Expatriate football managers in England