“I knew for a while that things were not going well with Birger. But when you hear about his death, it is still a blow.” The news hit Julien Cools, friend and ex-teammate of Birger Jensen at Club Brugge. “In the glory years we experienced together at Club Brugge, Birger was one of my best comrades,” says former Golden Shoe Julien Cools. “Between 1975 and 1978 we became champions of Belgium three times in a row, but Birger really made a name for himself in the European campaigns with Club.”
Playing at Wembley was the absolute highlight of his career for Birger.
Blauw-zwart played two European finals in that period, twice Liverpool turned out to be too strong. In 1976 in the UEFA Cup and in 1978 in the European Cup I. “On the way to that European Cup I final in 1978, I remember that Birger held us up several times. In the quarterfinals against Atlético Madrid, he saved a penalty kick, among other things. In the end we lost the final 1-0 to Liverpool in a packed Wembley.”
“For Birger, playing at Wembley was the absolute highlight. Playing in that mythical stadium meant everything to him. That evening we went on the rags together in London, with Birger’s brother. That was a boxer. We’ve been through so much.”
In those early years at Club, Jensen built up a close relationship with Cools. “We were also constantly in the same room on European trips or during training camps in Austria under coach Ernst Happel,” Cools recalls. “We were constantly joking and joking. We also shared the same taste in music. For example, we were both fans of ABBA, then we would be roaring those songs in the room.”
For me, Birger Jensen remains one of the great Club icons, we will miss him.
“I actually have nothing but good memories of Birger. He was a real bon vivant, but also a very good goalkeeper. He even dared to take care of the show on the field. Then he threw a ball backwards or something. If Birger was around, you could always expect something.”
In recent years, contact has become diluted, partly because Birger Jensen’s health has gone in the wrong direction. “The last time we saw each other was at the reunion of former Club players in hotel Weinebrugge. But that was before corona. I haven’t seen him since, but that doesn’t make my sadness any less today. For me he remains one of the great icons of Club Brugge and we will miss him.”
Former goalkeeper and Club Brugge icon Birger Jensen (72) passed away
Snooker mad, ABBA fan and always joking: how Birger Jensen became an absolute Club legend
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