Feb 25, 2008

February: Mikkel Jensen, professional football player

As team captain for Swedish top football club Hammarby, Mikkel Jensen has a crucial season ahead of him. After two knee injuries and two wasted seasons the defensive midfield rock is back in green and white training with his team again.
Meet a sympathetic Danish fighter who admires Swedish discipline and thinks being a good role model is equally important on and off the football field.

You may have read some storys in the tabloids about Mikkel Jensen lately. Like for instance that he partyed with Paris Hilton and flew helicopter over Grand Canyon during Hammarby’s season kick off in Los Angeles. Maybe so. However, Hammarby's 31 year old team captain hardly comes across as your typical playboy. On the contrary he gives an extremely humble and well-behaved impression – more like Ingvar Oldsberg than Fabien Barthez, if you get my drift. And since we’re not into tabloid stuff at Recipe for men, we’ll leave the heiress party business to other publications.

Mikkel Jensen started his fotball carreer in his birth town Værløse outside of Copenhagen. He played for the local team until drafted as a junior by the Danish top team Brøndby IF.

In total he played 88 games in the Danish Superliga and 17 European cup games with Brøndby. The team became Danish champions three times and qualified for the Champions League five times. Jensen also played 22 matches for the Danish under-21 national team, including four games as team captain, and was named Danish “Under-21 Talent of the Year” in 1998.

When Brøndby hired former Danish star player Michael Laudrup, as a manager in the summer of 2002, Jensen was one of several players deemed surplus. He had a brief stop at league rivals FC Midtjylland, before moving to Sweden to play for Hammarby in 2003.

He made his debut in Allsvenskan (the Swedish top division) against Elfsborg on Hammarby’s home arena, Söderstadion, in april 2003. With his experience and his natural capabilities as a leader the defensive midfielder quickly became one of the Hammarby’s key players and it was not long before he was named team captain. Jensen’s premier season was a success. Hammarby finished second in Allsvenskan and Jensen was named “bästa nyförvärv” (best pick of the season).

During the following years he led his team through several good seasons. The first setback came in 2006 when Jensen blew his knee early on in the season. The following year he hurt the same knee again, this time during practice, and once again he was forced to spend the entire season recovering from surgery. Today he’s back on the football field again, preparing for another season with Hammarby.

You’ve had your share of bad luck recently. Did you ever feel like giving up football?

- The honest answer is yes. Even if I usually don’t tell people that, there have been periods when I’ve seriously doubted that I would play professional football again. But I’m still playing, so I guess I didn’t surrender to those thoughts.

What makes a good team captain?

- A good team captain has to be a winner and a fighter. Winning should mean more than anything else. Experience is important as well, and being a good role model for the other players, both on and off the field.

Have you always been a natural leader or is it a quality that you have developed over the years?

- I think I’ve been a natural leader for most of my professional career. I’ve had a leading role in most of the teams I’ve played in, as a team captain or as an informal leader.

You have been living in Sweden for a couple of years now. What do you think is the main difference in mentality between Swedish and Danish people?

- In sports I believe there’s a big difference when it comes to discipline. If a Danish player is told to run ten kilometers he’ll ask why. If a Swedish player is told the same thing he’ll just start running without asking questions. I think that applies to other aspects of life as well. Swedes in general have much more respect for authority than Danish people.

Are football players as vane as people think?

- I think the answer is yes (laugh). The guys spend a lot of time in front of the mirror. But it’s not dead serious, it’s mostly for fun and there’s definitely a touch of irony involved.

Who’s spends most time in front of the mirror in Hammarby?

- Erkan Zengin … or maybe Petter Andersson (laugh).

Which team will win Allsvenskan this year?

- Hammarby. I know it's a boring answer, but I seriously believe we're up to it.

What do you think about Sweden’s chances in the European championships?

- I believe the odds are reasonably good. I should say that you have a fifty-fifty chance of qualifying from your group. And if Zlatan is in good shape I think the chances increases by at least 30 percent. He’s definitely key to Sweden’s success in the European championships.

What do you want to do when your football career is over?

- I’ve studied organization and some economics. I want to work with groups and human resources in some way. I’m interested in group dynamics and how people function together as a team. Maybe I’ll be a football coach or maybe I’ll try something else, but I’m definitely going to work with people.

Recipe for men’s man of the month in February

Name: Mikkel Jensen.

Age: 31.

Family: Single.

Occupation: Professional football player.

Teams: Hammarby since 2003 (previously: Værløse IF, Brøndby IF and FC Midtjylland).

Current hometown: Stockholm, Sweden.

Town of birth: Værløse outside of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Best sports memory: Playing against Barcelona on Camp Nou in the Champions League.

Enjoys on his spare time: Studying and playing golf.

Most beautiful place on earth: Grand Canyon.

The world's most beautiful man: Andy Garcia.