Jesper Jørgensen (Danish pronunciation: [ˈjespɐ ˈjɶɐ̯ˀɐnsn̩]; born 9 May 1984) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Jesper Jørgensen
Jørgensen with Club Brugge in 2014
Personal information
Full name Jesper Jørgensen
Date of birth (1984-05-09) 9 May 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth Varde, Denmark
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
JBS
2002–2003 Varde IF
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2010 Esbjerg fB 173 (9)
2011–2012 Gent 60 (14)
2012–2014 Club Brugge 75 (10)
2014–2016 Zulte Waregem 36 (2)
2016–2018 Esbjerg fB 34 (1)
Total 378 (36)
International career
2001–2002 Denmark U19 4 (0)
2003 Denmark U20 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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Esbjerg

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Jørgensen began his career with Janderup Billum Samarbejde (JBS) and signed for local rivals Varde IF in July 2002. After one year, Jørgensen left his hometown Varde to sign with regional powerhouse Esbjerg fB in summer 2003. On 5 January 2005, he signed a two-and-a-half-year contract extension with the club.[1] He lost two cup finals with Esbjerg, both in 2005–06 and 2007–08.

Belgium

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After 201 matches for Esbjerg, Jørgensen announced his move to Belgian club Gent on 10 December 2010, where he would sign a two-and-a-half-year contract.[2] He made his first-team debut on 20 January 2011 against Sint-Truiden.[3] He remained, except for the away game against Germinal Beerschot, in the starting lineup for the rest of the regular season. He also remained a starter in the relatively unsuccessful play-offs for Gent.[4]

Jørgensen also remained a starter under new head coaches Francky Dury and Trond Sollied. He also hardly missed a game in the Belgian First Division A in the 2011–12 season. He also managed to significantly improve his scoring ability compared to his first six months at the club by scoring 13 times in 39 league games that season and was thus one of the key players in the team.[5]

In June 2012, Club Brugge announced that Jørgensen signed a three-year contract with the club.[6] In 2014, Jørgensen signed a two-year contract with Zulte Waregem on 1 September 2014.[7]

Return to Esbjerg

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On 11 January 2016, Jørgensen's move back to Esbjerg fB was confirmed by the club. He joined on an agreement that valid until the summer of 2018.[8]

He left Esbjerg fB in February 2018 due to a recurring knee injury, which also resulted in him retiring from football.[9][10]

International career

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Jørgensen played internationally for the Denmark under-19 team in four matches and also gained four caps for the under-20 team.[11]

References

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  1. ^ Johansen, Carsten (5 January 2005). "U21-landsholdsspiller til Esbjerg". bold.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  2. ^ Meldgaard, Mette (10 December 2010). "Esbjerg mister anfører til Gent" (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Sint-Truiden vs. Gent - 30 January 2011 - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  4. ^ Smet, Stefan (19 May 2011). "Lijdensweg van Buffalo's is ten einde". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Jesper Jørgensen: 'Niet geweigerd om bij te tekenen'". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). 21 May 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  6. ^ Eeckhaut, Dimitri (4 August 2012). "Gentenaar Jørgensen eerste zomertransfer Club Brugge" [Ghent player Jørgensen is Club Brugge's first summer transfer]. Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Jørgensen zet zijn carrière voort bij Zulte Waregem". sporza.be (in Dutch). 1 September 2014.
  8. ^ Helmin, Jesper (11 January 2016). "Officielt: Esbjerg henter Jesper J. hjem". bold.dk (in Danish).
  9. ^ "Jesper Jørgensen indstiller karrieren". efb.dk (in Danish). 7 March 2018.
  10. ^ Bruun, Ole (9 February 2018). "Jesper Jørgensen er færdig i EfB". jv.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  11. ^ Jesper Jørgensen national team profile at the Danish Football Association (in Danish)