| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 20 December 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Kristiansand, Norway | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Vigør | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2000 | Start | 43 | (0) |
| 2001–2006 | Rosenborg | 76 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | → Strømsgodset (loan) | 46 | (0) |
| 2009 | Rosenborg | 0 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2003–2008 | Norway | 18 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 28 April 2010. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Espen Johnsen (born 20 December 1979 in Kristiansand) is a retired Norwegian football goalkeeper.[1] His brother Marius Johnsen is also a footballer, currently playing for Lillestrøm.
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His career started in local club Vigør. After a few years playing for Start, he was brought to Rosenborg in Trondheim.[2] He was mostly benched his first two years there because of the Icelandic goalkeeper Arni Gautur Arason, who left Rosenborg in 2003 for Manchester City. Espen then established himself as the first-choice in Rosenborg as well as on the Norwegian national team, but lost his place after a six-month injury layoff resulting from an injury sustained while playing against Spain.
After becoming second choice in Rosenborg after the purchase of Lars Hirschfeld, Johnsen made it clear that he was not satisfied with his "demotion", and on 6 October 2006, Strømsgodset announced that he had agreed to join them on a one year loan deal starting January 2007. He returned to Rosenborg in 2008. In March 2010 he was linked to Swedish champions AIK and according to Norwegian press, he was edging closer to a deal with them.
Espen is studying to be an M.D. at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway. When living in Kristiansand, he studied at the Agder University College, taking his exam in Christian studies. He is an active member of the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Norway, although since his move to Trondheim, he has also visited and attended other churches and congregations.