Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 31 December 1969 | ||
Position(s) | Defender | ||
Youth career | |||
Eidsvold Turn | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1986–1988 | Eidsvold Turn | ||
1989−1997 | HamKam | ||
1998 | Hamar | ||
International career | |||
1985 | Norway U15 | 5 | (1) |
1986 | Norway U16 | 5 | (0) |
1988 | Norway U18 | 1 | (1) |
1987 | Norway U19 | 1 | (0) |
* Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Heine Jenssen (born 31 December 1969) [1] is a Norwegian footballer who mostly played as a defender for Hamarkameratene, including four seasons in the Eliteserien.
Jenssen grew up in Eidsvoll and started his career as a striker in Eidsvold Turn. He was drafted into Eidsvold Turn’s senior squad ahead of the 1986 season. [2] Representing Norway as a youth international, his first international goal came during the Nordic tournament in the summer of 1985, where he scored the fifth goal in a 7–2 routing of Iceland U15. [3] Contesting the 1986 UEFA European Under-16 Championship the following year, [4] Jenssen also won the Tom Lund scholarship and was rewarded with a trial at a European academy. Youth national team coach Svein Arne Sigernes orchestrated a trial at Bayer Leverkusen together with Terje Olsen. The latter was even offered a contract. [5]
Jenssen scored his second international goal in 1988, and was a candidate for Norway’s 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship squad, [6] but was ultimately not selected, and did not play internationally again.
While playing for Eidsvold Turn on the fourth tier, [1] there were minor inquiries from Strømmen IF and Alvdal IL regarding transfer possibilities. Ahead of the 1989 season, Jenssen moved to second-tier team Hamarkameratene. The team had shown their interest in Jenssen, and also boasted two other players from Eidsvoll, Tom Fodstad and Hallgeir Finbråten. [6]
In Hamkam, Jenssen was repurposed from striker to fullback or wing-back. Hamkam won promotion in 1991, and survived a relegation playoff in 1992. Jenssen lost large parts of 1992 due to injury, but was intent on signing a new contract after his current one expired at the end of 1992. In the 1993 Eliteserien, Hamkam survived again, whereas his former teammate Hallgeir Finbråten played for Lyn who struggled. [7] [8]
Jenssen’s only [4] Eliteserien goal came at home against Brann in 1993. Jenssen stole the ball from the feet of opposing goalkeeper Thor-André Olsen, went around Olsen and scored unopposed. Jenssen claimed that he had studied Olsen before the match and noticed Olsen’s difficulties with handling back-passes. [9]
In 1994 and 1995, Heine Jenssen stated that he particularly struggled with opposing winger Kent Bergersen. Bergersen's team Rosenborg beat Hamkam 6–1 at Lerkendal in 1994, [10] [11] followed by a 9–1 routing in 1995. At the latter occasion, Hamkam's manager had tried to employ high pressure, to Jenssen's dismay: "It went well for 20 minutes, but when we became tired and did not do as we were supposed to, it devolved into – yes, simply put: madness". [12] In the same year, as Hamkam managed to beat Bergersen's new team Vålerenga, Bergersen was neutralized to the point that "Heine Jenssen made Kent Bergersen into a mediocre Third Division player". [13] However, Hamkam ended the 1995 Eliteserien in relegation. In the decisive match against Tromsø away, Jenssen received a red card. [14]
Jenssen aired the possibility of leaving Hamkam in late 1996 because their latest contract offer "entailed only half of what I had expected". [15] After the 1997 season, Jenssen definitely decided to wind down his career, and agreed to join lowly Hamar IL. [16] Originally, Hamkam demanded a transfer fee reportedly in the region of 30–40,000 kr. With Hamar IL being a hobby team, its leader regarded the demand as "silly". Jenssen called it "strange" and would rather retire than costing Hamar IL money to buy. [17] In the end, Hamkam agreed to release Jenssen for free. Hamkam and Hamar IL also reached an agreement of intention that future transfers between the clubs should not involve fees. [18] He retired in 1999. [19]