Niclas Jensen facts for kids
Jensen with F.C. Copenhagen in 2008
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 17 August 1974 | ||
| Place of birth | Copenhagen, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.79 m | ||
| Playing position | Left-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| B.93 | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1993–1996 | Lyngby FC | 92 | (7) |
| 1996–1998 | PSV Eindhoven | 5 | (0) |
| 1998–2002 | F.C. Copenhagen | 122 | (7) |
| 2002–2003 | Manchester City | 51 | (2) |
| 2003–2005 | Borussia Dortmund | 43 | (2) |
| 2005–2007 | Fulham | 16 | (0) |
| 2007–2009 | F.C. Copenhagen | 37 | (0) |
| Total | 366 | (18) | |
| National team | |||
| 1990–1991 | Denmark U17 | 15 | (2) |
| 1992–1993 | Denmark U19 | 11 | (0) |
| 1994–1996 | Denmark U21 | 18 | (2) |
| 1998–2008 | Denmark | 62 | (0) |
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Niclas Christian Monberg Jensen (born August 17, 1974) is a Danish former professional football player. He played as a left-back, which is a defensive position on the left side of the field. Niclas is known for winning three Danish Superliga championships with F.C. Copenhagen.
He also played for several clubs outside Denmark. These included PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Manchester City and Fulham in England, and Borussia Dortmund in Germany. Jensen played 62 games for the Denmark national team between 1998 and 2008. He represented his country at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2004 European Championship. In 1995, he was named the Danish Under-21 Player of the Year. Niclas is the older brother of Daniel Jensen, who also played for the Denmark national team.
Contents
Niclas Jensen's Club Journey
Niclas Jensen started his football journey in his hometown of Copenhagen, Denmark. He began playing for a Danish club called Boldklubben 1893 (B.93). In 1992, he moved to Lyngby Boldklub, a team in the Danish Superliga, which is Denmark's top football league.
Playing for Lyngby and PSV
Jensen made his first appearance for Lyngby in April 1993. He played 92 games for Lyngby in the Superliga and scored five goals. This was between April 1993 and September 1996.
In late 1996, Jensen moved to the Netherlands. He joined the Dutch team PSV Eindhoven along with two other players from Lyngby. In his first season at PSV, Jensen played three games. His team won the 1996–97 Eredivisie championship that year. However, Jensen only played five games in total for PSV. He had two operations on his groin, which kept him from playing more. He was also a back-up player for Arthur Numan, a famous Dutch international player.
Success with F.C. Copenhagen
In March 1998, Jensen returned to Denmark. He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with F.C. Copenhagen (FCK). He played for F.C. Copenhagen for almost five years. During this time, his team won the 2000–01 Danish Superliga championship.
Jensen and his former Lyngby teammate Thomas Rytter were known as the best wingback duo in the Superliga. A wingback is a player who plays both defense and offense on the side of the field. Jensen played 122 games for FCK in the Superliga and scored eight goals. This was between April 1998 and December 2001.
Moving to English and German Clubs
In January 2002, Jensen moved to England. He was sold to Manchester City, a team in the English 1st Division. The transfer deal was worth about £550,000.
Jensen played 18 games for Manchester City that season. His team won promotion to the top-flight FA Premier League in the summer of 2002. After playing in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he played 33 games for Manchester City in the 2002–03 Premiership season. Manchester City finished ninth in the Premier League that year. One of his best moments was scoring a fantastic goal against Leeds United to win the game. Jensen played 51 league games for Manchester City and scored two goals.
In July 2003, Niclas Jensen was bought by the German team Borussia Dortmund. The fee was around £750,000. He started well at Dortmund, but he eventually became a substitute player for Dedê, a Brazilian wingback. In his two years at Dortmund, Jensen played 43 games and scored two goals in the Bundesliga.
After two years in Germany, he moved back to England in July 2005. He joined Fulham in the FA Premier League. At Fulham, he played alongside his former Lyngby teammate Claus Jensen.
Return to F.C. Copenhagen and Retirement
In the first half of the 2005–06 season, Niclas Jensen played regularly for Fulham. However, when Fulham signed Wayne Bridge in January 2006, Jensen played less. He was not part of the first team after a game against Newcastle United on January 14, 2006. He didn't play another game for Fulham until September 2006.
Jensen decided to leave Fulham in January 2007. He returned to his former club, F.C. Copenhagen. In his first half-season back at FCK, Jensen played 12 games. FCK won the 2006–07 Superliga championship that season.
In the following seasons, Jensen played less as Oscar Wendt became the main left-back. Jensen played seven games in the 2008–09 Superliga season, which FCK also won. He did not play any Superliga games in late 2009. In October 2009, Jensen decided to end his playing career. He chose to become a football agent, helping other players with their careers. Niclas Jensen played a total of 213 games and scored 10 goals for FCK in all competitions.
Playing for Denmark's National Teams
Niclas Jensen started playing for Denmark's national youth teams when he was at B.93. He made his debut for the Denmark under-17 national team in July 1990. He also played three matches in the 1991 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship.
While playing for Lyngby, Jensen joined the Denmark under-21 national team in July 1994. In 1995, he won the award for Danish Under-21 Player of the Year.
Senior National Team Career
While playing for F.C. Copenhagen, Niclas Jensen was called up to the senior Denmark national team. This was under the coach Bo Johansson. Jensen made his debut in a friendly match against the Czech Republic in August 1998.
After his first game, Jensen had to wait more than two years for his second national team match. Under the new coach Morten Olsen, Jensen was called back for a friendly game against Germany in November 2000.
He was chosen to play for the Denmark national team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. During the tournament, he became Denmark's main starting left wingback, taking over from Jan Heintze. While playing for Dortmund, Jensen was also selected to represent Denmark at the 2004 European Championship. He played in Denmark's first three matches at the tournament.
In January 2007, Jensen was told by national manager Morten Olsen that he needed to find a new club or he would be dropped from the Denmark national team. This was because he was not playing many games for his club, Fulham. Jensen then moved back to F.C. Copenhagen. He continued to be part of the Denmark national team until his last game in March 2008. He played a total of 62 games for the Denmark national team.
Awards and Achievements
Niclas Jensen won several important titles during his football career.
PSV Eindhoven
- Eredivisie: 1996–97 (Dutch League Champions)
F.C. Copenhagen
- Danish Superliga: 2001–02, 2006–07, 2008–09 (Danish League Champions)
- Danish Cup: 2008–09 (Danish Cup Winners)
Individual Awards
- Danish Under-21 Player of the Year: 1995
Images for kids
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Jensen playing for the FCK reserves in April 2009.
See also
In Spanish: Niclas Jensen para niños
