John Hansen

John Angelo Valdemar Østergaard Hansen, known simply as John Hansen, (24 June 1924 – 12 January 1990) was a Danish footballer who played as a forward. He played professionally for seven years in Italy: he scored 124 goals in 187 matches for Juventus FC, and won two Serie A championships with the club, finishing as Capocannoniere top-goal scorer in the 1951–52 Serie A season; he later also played for Italian club S.S. Lazio. He won the 1944 Danish championship with childhood club BK Frem. Hansen scored 10 goals in eight games for the Denmark national football team in 1948, and won a bronze medal with Denmark at the 1948 Summer Olympics. In 1985, Hansen received the Italian order of chivalry. Hansen started his career with Copenhagen club BK Frem in the amateur-only Danish league. He played as a left inside wing, was a world-class header of the ball, and could kick the ball equally hard with both legs. With BK Frem, Hansen won the 1944 Danish championship, and was the top goal-scorer of the 1948 Danish championship tournament. He was given the number 10 shirt, and made his debut three days later against A.S. Bari. Hansen's first season did not start well for a tall and strong man not used to work on defense, and after 12 games the Italy national team coach was called just to verify that he was the same player who had scored the four goals against them at the Olympics. Hansen ended his first season with 15 goals in 24 games. Juventus won the 1949–50 Serie A championship with Hansen scoring 28 goals in 37 games. that the Danish Football Association in 1958 decided to allow ex-professionals to reenter the Danish league, albeit only after serving a two-year quarantine. Hansen returned to play for BK Frem, where he ended his playing career in 1960.

Coaching career During his ban from playing football in 1956 and 1957, Hansen coached BK Frem alongside Erling Sørensen. Austrian Rudi Strittich was named national team coach in 1970, replacing both Hansen and From, and John Hansen went on to only serve in the selection committee. 1952 Capocannoniere: 1951–52 Juventus FC Hall of Fame: 2025