Bjørn Kristensen
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bjørn Kristensen | ||
| Date of birth | 10 October 1963 | ||
| Place of birth | Malling, Denmark | ||
| Playing position | Defender, midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1982–1989 | AGF Aarhus | 165 | (19) |
| 1989–1993 | Newcastle United | 80 | (4) |
| 1992 | Bristol City | 4 | (0) |
| 1993–1995 | Portsmouth FC | 71 | (1) |
| 1995–1997 | Aalborg BK | ||
| 1997 | Aarhus Fremad | ||
| National team | |||
| 1983–1986 | Denmark U-21 | 12 | (0) |
| 1987–1993 | Denmark | 20 | (2) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Bjørn Kristensen (born 10 October 1963) is a Danish former professional football player who played for Danish club Aarhus Gymnastikforening and English club Newcastle United, where he was nicknamed "Benny". He played 20 matches and scored two goals for the Danish national team, and represented his country at the 1988 European Championship.
Biography
Born in Malling, Kristensen started his career with local top-flight team AGF Aarhus in 1982. His talent was soon discovered, as he played 12 games for the Danish under-21 national team from 1983 to 1986. While at AGF, Kristensen won the 1986 Danish championship as well as two Danish Cup trophies. He made his national team debut in May 1987, and took part in a single match at the 1988 European Championship.
He joined Newcastle United in March 1989, as a 25-year-old, and became a popular figure amongst the fans for his versatility; he could play as a defender or midfielder. He is also remembered by "Toon" fans for having a strong long-range shot. He was the second Newcastle player to gain caps for the Danish national team after Preben Arentoft, playing two national team matches in 1991. He was loaned out to Bristol City in November 1992, before he permanently left Newcastle in February 1993. He moved to Portsmouth FC before ending his career back in Denmark.
He joined defending Danish champions Aalborg BK (AaB) in the summer 1995. He made fine displays in the central defense of AaB, and took part in AaB's campaign in the international 1996 UEFA Champions League tournament. Despite being an experienced player in a young squad, Kristensen suffered a number of injuries and only played a total of 22 games for AaB. He moved to Aarhus Fremad in January 1997, and helped the club win promotion for the top-flight Danish Superliga championship.
Honours
- Danish championship: 1986
- Danish Cup: 1987 and 1988
External links
- Danish national team profile
- (Danish) AaB profile
- Bjørn Kristensen at National-Football-Teams.com
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