Kresten Bjerre facts for kids
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Kresten Bjerre (1977)
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 February 1946 | ||
| Place of birth | Copenhagen, Denmark | ||
| Date of death | 19 February 2014 (aged 67) | ||
| Place of death | Frederikssund, Denmark | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1954–19?? | BK Sylvia | ||
| 19??–196? | Akademisk Boldklub | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 196?–1967 | Akademisk Boldklub | ||
| 1968 | Houston Stars | 31 | (7) |
| 1968–1970 | PSV | 53 | (4) |
| 1970–1977 | RWDM | 248 | (?) |
| 1977–1978 | Go Ahead Eagles | 6 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1965–1966 | Denmark U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 1967–1973 | Denmark | 22 | (12) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1978–1979 | Køge Boldklub | ||
| 1980–1983 | Holbæk B&I | ||
| 1983–1987 | Herfølge Boldklub | ||
| 1987–19?? | Akademisk Boldklub | ||
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Kresten Bjerre (born February 22, 1946 – died February 19, 2014) was a famous Danish football player. He played professionally for teams in the United States and Europe. These included Houston Stars, PSV Eindhoven, and R.W.D. Molenbeek.
People often called him "Generalen," which means "the General." He was a strong defender. Kresten Bjerre played 22 games for the Danish national team. He scored twelve goals for his country between the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Contents
Kresten Bjerre's Football Journey
Playing for Clubs
Kresten Bjerre was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He started playing football with local clubs like Boldklubben Sylvia and Akademisk Boldklub (AB). He helped AB win the 1967 Danish football championship. This was a big achievement for his team.
He made his first appearance for the national team in May 1967. He played eight national team games that year. During these games, he scored an amazing eight goals. He even scored three goals in one game against Iceland. Denmark won that game by a huge score of 14-2! He also scored two goals when Denmark beat the Netherlands 3-2. This game was part of the qualification for the 1968 European Championship.
In early 1968, Kresten Bjerre moved to the United States. He became a professional player for the Houston Stars team. They played in the NASL championship. At that time, Danish rules meant that professional players could not play for the national team. So, his national team career had to pause.
After playing for Houston Stars in 1968, the team stopped playing. Bjerre then moved back to Europe. He joined PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands. In 1969, he moved to Belgian club R.W.D. Molenbeek. He was one of the highest-paid footballers in the Belgian League. He was also the first foreign player to become a team captain in Belgian football.
While he was at Molenbeek, the rules in Denmark changed. Professional players could now play for the national team. So, Kresten Bjerre rejoined the Danish national team in May 1971. He played 14 more games for Denmark and scored four more goals. In his last 13 games for Denmark, Kresten Bjerre was the captain of the national team.
He even changed his citizenship for a short time. This was to help another Danish player, Benny Nielsen, join Molenbeek. Teams had a limit on how many foreign players they could have. This meant Kresten Bjerre had to leave the Danish national team in November 1973. However, he changed back to Danish citizenship after he stopped playing.
Bjerre focused on his career with Molenbeek. He helped the team win the 1975 Belgian League championship. He was also part of the Molenbeek team that reached the semi-finals of the 1977 UEFA Cup tournament. He retired from playing football at the end of that season.
Life After Playing: Coaching
After retiring as a player, Kresten Bjerre moved back to Denmark. He became a football coach. He coached Køge BK, and they reached the 1979 Danish Cup final. However, they lost the final game to B 1903.
He later coached other Danish clubs, including Holbæk B&I, Herfølge BK, and his old club AB. He also coached several smaller teams. Later in his life, he became the park manager for BK Frem's stadium, Valby Idrætspark. Kresten Bjerre sadly passed away from cancer in early 2014.
Achievements and Awards
- Belgian League: 1975 (with R.W.D. Molenbeek)
- Danish championship: 1967 (with Akademisk Boldklub)
See also
In Spanish: Kresten Bjerre para niños
