Jesper Jørgensen

Not to be confused with Jesper Jørgensen (footballer, born 1983).

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 38)
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

Esbjerg

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

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

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

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

References

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 at the Danish Football Association (in Danish)