Asbjørn Hansen

Asbjørn Hansen
Personal information
Full name Asbjørn Hansen[1]
Date of birth (1930-05-29)29 May 1930
Place of birth Sarpsborg, Norway
Date of death 25 March 2017(2017-03-25) (aged 86)
Place of death Sarpsborg, Norway
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1948–1958 Sparta
1958–1962 Sarpsborg
International career
1952–1961 Norway 52 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Asbjørn Hansen (29 May 1930 – 25 March 2017)[2] was a Norwegian football goalkeeper who played for Sparta and Sarpsborg.[3] He is regarded as one of Norway's best goalkeepers of all time, and was first-choice goalkeeper for the Norway national team through most of the 1950s.[4]

Hansen made his senior debut for Sparta in 1948, and was a member of the Sparta team that won the Norwegian Football Cup in 1952. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving member from the cup-winning team. In 1958, following Sparta's relegation from the Norwegian Main League the previous year, Hansen joined city rivals Sarpsborg FK, where he played until his retirement from top-level football in 1962.[4]

on 25 June 1952, Hansen made his debut for the Norwegian national team in a friendly against Yugoslavia, and he remained first-choice goalkeeper throughout most of the next decade, playing his last international in 1961. In total, he won 52 caps for Norway. Only Erik Thorstvedt (97 caps), Rune Jarstein (65 caps as of February 2020) and Thomas Myhre (56 caps) have played more matches for Norway as goalkeeper.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Asbjørn Hansen" (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Asbjørn Hansen death notice". Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  3. ^ "Asbjørn Hansen". Olympedia. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  4. ^ a b Asbjørn Hansen er død, Sarpsborg Arbeiderblad (28 March 2017) (in Norwegian)
  5. ^ Asbjørn Hansen, eu-football.info