| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1968-09-13)13 September 1968 (age 57) | ||
| Place of birth | Rødovre, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 19??–1991 | Vanløse IF | ||
| 1991–2001 | Brøndby IF | 284 | (40) |
| International career | |||
| 1996–1997 | Denmark | 3 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ole Bjur (born 13 September 1968) is a Danish former professionalfootballer who played 384 matches forBrøndby IF, with whom he won threeDanish Superliga championships. He played as anattacking midfielder orright midfielder, with a good technique and dribbling ability. He played for theDenmark national team on three occasions, scoring one goal.
He is the younger brother of Danish footballerJan Bjur,[2] and father ofPeter Bjur.[3]
Born inRødovre, Bjur started playing football withVanløse IF in the second-tierDanish 2nd Division. When the structure ofDanish football was altered in 1991, Vanløse was placed in the second-tierDanish 1st Division. At Vanløse, Bjur showed himself as aforward with good finishing and eye for the game, and was named 1991 Danish 1st DivisionPlayer of the Year.[4] This attracted the attention of defending Danish champions Brøndby IF, and Bjur moved to the top-flightDanish Superliga club in July 1991.
Under Brøndby managerMorten Olsen, Bjur saw a lot of playing time, but had a hard time scoring goals. When Brøndby hired new managerEbbe Skovdahl in 1992, he went on to deploy Bjur in aright wingback position, where Bjur was immediately praised for his performance.[5] From his wingback position, he would both engage in elegant, dribbling runs as well as hit precise crosses.[6] In the opening of the1993–94 Superliga season, Bjur saw a slump in form. He got his onlyred card while at Brøndby in September 1993,[7] and was eventually left out of the Brøndbyfirst team and played a number of games in thereserve team. He returned to form in October 1993,[8] and became one of Brøndby's leading men forset pieces. With Skovdahls change of tactics, to a3–4–3 formation in March 1994, Bjur was moved up to a forward position, behind the lone strikerMark Strudal, where he reproduced the attacking play of his Vanløse days.[9]
For the1994–95 Superliga season, Skovdahl changed the formation to a4–4–2 system, and Bjur settled into the right-sided midfielder spot. He found a good understanding with right backSøren Colding,[10] and the two formed a dangerous pairing on Brøndby's right flank.[11] Bjur was a part of the Brøndby which won the 1994Danish Cup,[12] his first trophy in his Brøndby career, and was named 1994 Brøndby IFPlayer of the Year.[13] In the1995–96 Superliga season, Bjur played all 32 games as Brøndby won their first Danish championship in five years. He also scored the winning goal in the 2–1 defeat ofA.S. Roma in the 1995–96UEFA Cup tournament, though Brøndby were eventually eliminated on theaway goals rule.
With Brøndby, Bjur went on to win the1996–97 Superliga and1997–98 Superliga championships, as well as the 1998 Danish Cup trophy. He was a part of Brøndby's campaign in the 1998–99UEFA Champions League tournament, and played a total of 54 games for Brøndby in the European competitions. After more and more games of not feeling satisfied with his own performances, he decided to end his career in November 2000, 32 years old.[14] He went on to concentrate on his studies at theUniversity of Copenhagen.
Following his Brøndby breakthrough in the1992–93 Superliga season, Bjur was touted as a coming man for the Danish national team.[6] However, after his slump in form for Brøndby in fall 1993, he was not chosen for the Danish national team by national managerRichard Møller Nielsen.[15]
He was eventually included in the national team squad of newly appointed national managerBo Johansson in the summer 1996. Bjur was called up for Johansson's first game in August 1996. He scored the winning goal in their debut match, as Denmark beatSweden 1–0 in afriendly match. Bjur started the next national team match, but after 22 minutes, he suffered a minorconcussion from a swung elbow, and had to be substituted off. Bjur was then displaced by midfielderPeter Nielsen for the next national team games, before playing his last international game in August 1997.
Brøndby IF
Individual