Roald Jensen
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roald Jensen | ||
| Date of birth | 11 January 1943 | ||
| Place of birth | Bergen, Norway | ||
| Date of death | 6 October 1987 (aged 44) | ||
| Place of death | Bergen, Norway | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1953–1956 | Dynamo | ||
| 1956–1959 | Brann | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1960–1964 | Brann | 82 | (51) |
| 1965–1971 | Heart of Midlothian | 74 | (19) |
| 1971–1973 | Brann | 40 | (9) |
| National team | |||
| 1959–1960 | Norway U19 | 2 | (0 ) |
| 1960 | Norway U21 | 0 | (0) |
| 1960–1971 | Norway | 31 | (5) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Roald Jensen (11 January 1943 – 6 October 1987), nicknamed "Kniksen", of Bergen, Norway was one of that country's most celebrated association football players. He played for SK Brann and Heart of Midlothian F.C. ("Hearts"). Knicksen is a local Bergen word meaning "juggler".
Jensen was born in Bergen. From an early age, he was interested in football. He made his Brann senior-team debut in 1960, while still only 17. He made his debut on the national team the same year. Brann, with Jensen, won the league in 1961-62 and in 1963. After Brann's relegation in 1964, Jensen transferred to professional football in Scotland as Heart of Midlothian's first non-British player. While he was in Scotland, Jensen was unable to play for Norway, as the national team did not allow professional players at that time.
In 1971 Jensen returned to Brann and won the Norwegian championship (cup) with the club in 1972. Jensen retired from football after the 1973 season, when he was 30 years old. Jensen died in 1987 while playing football for Brann's old-boys' team. The Kniksen award, a prize that acclaims the best players in Norwegian football, is named after Jensen. In 1995 a statue of Jensen was erected outside Brann Stadion in Bergen.
Roald Jensen was born in Bergen and grew up at Eidsvågsneset, Bergen. He was the son of architect Karl Ingolf Jensen and Kirsten Alice Rokne. His brother Kjell Jensen was also a footballer. As a child, Jensen played in the garden with a football for hours on end. In his autobiography, Gje meg en B - !, Boka om Brann, he describes a situation when he lost a small ball he got when he four years old as the most unhappy time of his life. When he was ten years old, he was a founding member of a football club called Dynamo. In a game Dynamo won 22–0, Jensen scored 15 goals. Jensen was also a member of the buekorps ("Archery Brigade") Nordnæs Bataillon.
Jensen joined Brann at age 13, and dominated on the club's youth teams. Even as a youth player, he was noticed for his extreme technical skills. In 1959, SK Brann's junior team won the National Championship. The final at Brann Stadion was attended by 16,000 people.
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