Ivan Jensen

Tage Ivan Jensen, mostly known as Ivan Jensen for short (November 10, 1922 – January 26, 2009) was a Danish association footballer, who won three Danish championships with amateur club Akademisk Boldklub and played professionally for Italian club Bologna FC. He played 25 games and scored two goals for the Denmark national football team and won a bronze medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

Biography Born in Copenhagen, He went on to play 25 games and score two goals for the national team, including four games as Denmark won a bronze medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. Jensen signed a professional contract in 1949, and was excluded from further games with the amateur-only Danish national team.

He moved abroad to play professionally for Italian club Bologna FC in the Serie A championship. He quickly gained popularity in Bologna, and was asked to recommend another Danish player for the club. He chose fellow Danish international Axel Pilmark, who was then signed. Jensen continued his technique training with Pilmark, now learning from one of the finest technicians of the game. Ivan Jensen would even drop down into the Bologna back three, in effect transforming Bologna's formation into an elastic 4-3-3, many years ahead of its time.

Jensen was an educated teacher, and attended several courses in Roman history at the University of Bologna during his time in Bologna. When he ended his playing career, he became a teacher in Gladsaxe. He studied at the University of Copenhagen, and became a gymnasium teacher in Lyngby.

Honours Danish championships: 1943, 1945, 1947