Claus Jensen

Claus Jensen

Claus Jensen playing for Fulham.
Personal information
Full name	Claus William Jensen
Date of birth	(1977-04-29) 29 April 1977
Place of birth	Nykøbing Falster, Denmark
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1995–1996	Næstved BK	4	(0)
1996–1998	Lyngby FC	62	(14)
1998–2000	Bolton Wanderers	86	(8)
2000–2004	Charlton Athletic	123	(16)
2004–2007	Fulham	35	(4)
Total		310	(42)
International career
1995	Denmark U19	1	(0)
1996–1999	Denmark U21	18	(3)
2000–2007	Denmark	47	(8)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Claus William Jensen (born 29 April 1977) is a former Danish professional footballer, who played as a midfielder. Jensen played 47 games and scored 8 goals for the Denmark national football team, and represented Denmark at the 2002 World Cup and 2004 European Championship tournaments. He is the cousin of FC Vestsjælland winger Anders Due. He now works for the Danish TV Channel 6'eren as a commentator on Premier League.

Biography

Jensen was born in Nykøbing Falster, and played for a number of Danish lower-league teams, making his debut for the Danish under-19 national team in November 1995. In May 1996, he was loaned out from Danish second division club Nykøbing Falster Alliancen to Næstved BK in the Danish Superliga. He played four games while at Næstved, but could not prevent the club from being relegated at the end of the season. He moved permanently to Superliga club Lyngby FC in June 1996, signing a contract alongside later Danish international Dennis Rommedahl.

He played two years at Lyngby before moving to play in England in July 1998. He was bought by First Division (now Championship) club Bolton Wanderers in a deal worth 1.8 million DKK. While at Bolton, he debuted for the Danish national team in March 2000.

In July 2000, he moved to Premiership club Charlton Athletic for £4 million, and became a popular player with fans due to his influence during games. The Charlton support would sing his name to the tune "charge" (often used during baseball matches, using Claus for the build-up and singing his full name "Claus William Jensen" at the climax. He was called up to the Danish squad for the 2002 World Cup, where he made a single appearance as a substitute. In February 2003, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 friendly win against Egypt; one of the goals was scored from a direct free kick. He also represented Denmark at the 2004 European Championship, where he took part in three of Denmark's four matches.

After more than 100 games for Charlton, in July 2004 he moved to the Addicks' London rivals Fulham in a transfer deal worth £1.25 million. He made his Fulham debut at Manchester City on 14 August 2004. He spent three years with Fulham, but was plagued by injury and on 17 May 2007, Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez decided to release him; Jensen claims his release was inevitable because he did not fit into Sanchez's long ball tactics. After three years with repeating injuries, he chose to end his professional career on 25 August 2007.

Career statistics

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Denmark			League		Danish Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
1995–96	Næstved	Superliga	4	0
1996–97	Lyngby	Superliga	31	3
1997–98			31	11
England			League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
1998–99	Bolton Wanderers	First Division	44	2
1999-00			42	6
2000–01	Charlton Athletic	Premier League	38	5
2001–02			18	1
2002–03			35	6
2003–04			31	4
2004–05	Fulham	Premier League	12	0
2005–06			11	2
2006–07			12	2
Total	Denmark		66	14
	England		243	28
Career total			309	42

International goals

Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	24 March 2001	Valletta, Malta	Malta	4–0	5–0	2002 World Cup qualification
2	12 February 2003	Cairo, Egypt	Egypt	1–1	4–1	Friendly match
3	12 February 2003	Cairo, Egypt	Egypt	3–1	4–1	Friendly match
4	12 February 2003	Cairo, Egypt	Egypt	4–1	4–1	Friendly match
5	11 June 2003	Luxembourg, Luxembourg	Luxembourg	1–0	2–0	Euro 2004 qualification
6	18 August 2004	Poznań, Poland	Poland	4–1	5–1	Friendly match
7	3 September 2005	Istanbul, Turkey	Turkey	1–0	2–2	2006 World Cup qualification
8	7 September 2005	Copenhagen, Denmark	Georgia	1–0	6–1	2006 World Cup qualification

External links

• Danish national team profile
• Claus Jensen at Soccerbase