Ruben Yttergård Jenssen

Ruben Yttergård Jenssen
Yttergård Jenssen with 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 2015
Personal information
Full name Ruben Yttergård Jenssen
Date of birth (1988-05-04) 4 May 1988
Place of birth Tromsø, Norway
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Tromsø
Number 11
Youth career
–1996 Fløya
1997 Sogndal
1998–2004 Fløya
2005–2006 Tromsø
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2013 Tromsø 171 (4)
2013–2016 1. FC Kaiserslautern 75 (9)
2016–2018 Groningen 45 (2)
2018 → 1. FC Kaiserslautern (loan) 14 (0)
2018–2020 Brann 38 (3)
2019 Brann 2 1 (0)
2020– Tromsø 171 (10)
International career‡
2004 Norway U16 3 (0)
2005 Norway U17 4 (0)
2006 Norway U18 8 (1)
2007 Norway U19 5 (1)
2008–2010 Norway U21 13 (0)
2010–2016 Norway 39 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 1 December 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of 25 September 2016

Ruben Yttergård Jenssen (born 4 May 1988) is a Norwegian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eliteserien club Tromsø.

Yttergård Jenssen played for both Fløya and Sogndal in his youth. In 2005, he moved to Tromsø where he would go on to have success as one of their best midfielders. In 2013, Yttergård Jennsen moved to 1. FC Kaiserslautern after nine seasons at Tromsø. In Germany he played in the 2. Bundesliga for three years, before being transferred to Dutch side Groningen in 2016. After a year-and-a-half in the Netherlands, he was loaned back to his former club 1. FC Kaiserslautern, before moving permanently to Norwegian side Brann in 2018. Yttergård Jenssen stayed at Brann for one and a half seasons before returning to his first professional club Tromsø in early 2020. His second spell at the club saw Yttergård Jenssen once again become one of Tromsø's most important and trusted players.

Early in his career, Jenssen played as a winger, but he later played as a central midfielder. Jenssen made his international debut for Norway in May 2010, and was a regular starter from September 2012. His last game came in September 2016, ending his international career with thirty-nine games.

Early life

Born in Tromsø, Jenssen played for Fløya during his youth.[1] His family moved to Sogn og Fjordane when his father, Truls Jenssen, was head coach of Sogndal IL during the 1997 season, and the nine-year-old played for a team in Sogndal's youth department.[2]

Jenssen's mother, Ann-Torild, who played basketball for Tromsø Basketballklubb (now Tromsø Storm) did not want him to play football and wanted him to try out gymnastics and basketball instead. After he played basketball for a year when he was 13, he asked his mother if he could quit.[3]

Club career

Tromsø

2006 season

After playing for Tromsø's youth team, Jenssen was promoted to the first-team squad ahead of the 2006 season. He signed a four-year contract with the club in April 2006,[3] and Steinar Nilsen, Tromsø's director of sports, stated that Jenssen was one of the most talented footballers hailing from Tromsø ever.[4] Tromsø's head coach Ivar Morten Normark claimed that the signing of Jenssen was better for the development of young players from Northern Norway, than if the club had signed Ronaldinho.[3]

Jenssen had been playing as a central midfielder during his youth, but was retrained as a left wing in 2006. He made his debut for Tromsø in the first match of the 2006 Tippeligaen against Molde on 9 April 2006.[3] Despite starting the first match of the season, Jenssen did not play regularly for the Tromsø-team that battled against relegation in 2006. He made four more appearances as a substitute in the league, and played one match in the Norwegian Cup.[1] Following Ole Martin Årst's transfer from Standard Liège to Tromsø in 2006, the Belgium club had secured an option to sign Jenssen free of charge,[5] and he was in 2006 offered a contract with the club's academy. Jenssen rejected this offer.[6] He was again offered a one-year contract with Standard in June 2007, this time with the club's first team,[7] but Jenssen also turned this offer down.[8]

2007 season

With Steinar Nilsen as head coach in the 2007 season, Jenssen made 15 appearances in the league, all as a substitute.[1]

2008 season

After starting a few matches for Tromsø in the 2008 season, Jenssen scored his first goal in Tippeligaen with a match-winning goal against HamKam on 20 July 2008.[9] Jenssen scored another match-winning goal in August, this time against Aalesund,[10] and became a regular starter for Tromsø during the season,[11] contributing to the team's bronze medals.

2009 season

After Steinar Nilsen moved to Brann, Per-Mathias Høgmo became the head coach of Tromsø, and Jenssen was in the 2009 season Høgmo's most used player as he played all of the 30 matches in the 2009 Tippeligaen.[12] After having played as a winger for Tromsø, he became a central midfielder this season.

2011 season

Jenssen also played most of the matches in the 2011 season, but after playing 89 matches in a row for Tromsø[13] he missed the match against Viking in August 2011 due to a suspension after three yellow cards.[11] Jenssen scored his first Tippeligaen-goal in three years in the 3–1 win against Fredrikstad on 21 August 2011. He scored the first goal in the match after two minutes.[14]

2012 season

In the 2012 season, Jenssen was again playing every match until he had to skip the match against Sandnes Ulf in November 2012 due to an injury. This was the first time Jenssen was unable to play a match for Tromsø, since he became a regular in the first time in 2008.[15] Tromsø's Miika Koppinen was placed on the bench in the 2012 Norwegian Football Cup Final, and Jenssen captained the side in the club's third Norwegian Football Cup final.

1. FC Kaiserslautern

On 4 June 2013, he signed a three-year contract with 2. Bundesliga club 1. FC Kaiserslautern.[16]

Groningen

On 7 June 2016, he signed with Dutch Eredivisie side FC Groningen.

In January 2018, Jenssen re-joined former club 1. FC Kaiserslautern on loan for the second half of the season.[17]

Brann

Yttergård Jenssen signed with Brann on 11 August 2018 on a 2 years contract.[18]

Return to Tromsø

Yttergård Jenssen signed with Tromsø on 18 January 2020 on a 4 years contract.[19] In his first season back at the club, Jenssen and Tromsø's main goal was to achieve promotion back to the Eliteserien, after the club was relegated the season prior.[20] After a solid campaign, Tromsø was in pole position for one of the two automatic promotion spots. On 22 November in a match against Raufoss, Tromsø came back from a losing position with a free kick goal from Jenssen in the extra time, ending the game 1–1, and at the same time securing their promotion.[21]

As Tromsø started their pre-season ahead of the 2021 season, captain Simen Wangberg was sold, and Jenssen was appointed the new captain of the club.[22] In September 2023, Jenssen extended his contract with two new years, until the end of the 2025 season.[23]

In September 2025, Tromsø announced that ahead of his contract expiring after the season, Jenssen had signed a new one-year extension, keeping him at the club for the 2026 season.[24] A month later, Yttergård Jennsen was named Player of the Month in the Eliteserien, his first time, for the months of August and September.[25]

International career

Jenssen first represented Norway at the under-16 level, and soon became a regular on Norwegian youth teams.[26] He played 21 matches and scored two goals from under-16 level to under-19 level,[27] and became the captain of the under-21 team in 2009.[12] He played a total of 13 matches for the under-21 team.[27]

In May 2010, Jenssen was selected for the Norwegian national team for the first time along with Jonathan Parr, as a replacement for Bjørn Helge Riise and John Arne Riise who attended Bjørn Helge's wedding. Jenssen made his debut for Norway when he started the match against Montenegro and played for 57 minutes.[26] Parr and Jenssen were originally returning to the under-21 for a match against Finland U21 after the Montenegro-match, but they both returned to their clubs with injuries.[28] Jenssen has since then been a regular in Egil Olsen's national team, and he has been a regular starter since he started the World Cup qualifier against Slovenia on 11 September 2012.[29] Jenssen was awarded the Gold Watch after his 25th cap against Macedonia on 11 June 2013, and became the eighth footballer from Northern Norway to reach that milestone.[30] Jenssen's last game for the national team came in a 3–0 loss against Germany in September 2016.[31]

Style of play

Being a central midfielder his biggest talent is his passing ability. His vision and orientation of the game combine with an outstanding left-foot to make him a powerful player.[32]

Personal life

Jenssen comes from a family of footballers; his father Truls Jenssen, is a former Tromsø player and he has also coached Sogndal, Tromsdalen and Tromsø. Jenssen's youngest brother Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen is a fellow footballer, who currently plays for Rosenborg, while their brother Markus won the Norwegian Youth Cup with Tromsø.[33]

Jenssen married his girlfriend of eight years, Maria Evertsen Berg, in December 2012. His best man was Christer Johnsgård, a former footballer, who also worked at the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.[29] The pair have two sons together.[31]

Career statistics

Club

As of 1 December 2025[34][35][36]
Appearances by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[a] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Tromsø 2005 Tippeligaen 0 0 1 0 0 0 — 1 0
2006 Tippeligaen 6 0 1 1 — — 7 1
2007 Tippeligaen 15 0 4 0 — — 19 0
2008 Tippeligaen 20 2 4 1 — — 24 3
2009 Tippeligaen 30 0 5 0 6[b] 0 — 41 0
2010 Tippeligaen 30 0 3 0 — — 33 0
2011 Tippeligaen 29 1 4 0 4[b] 1 — 37 2
2012 Tippeligaen 29 0 6 1 6[b] 0 — 41 1
2013 Tippeligaen 12 1 1 1 0 0 — 13 2
Total 171 4 29 4 16 1 — 216 9
1. FC Kaiserslautern 2013–14 2. Bundesliga 23 2 3 1 — — 26 3
2014–15 2. Bundesliga 21 0 3 0 — — 24 0
2015–16 2. Bundesliga 31 7 0 0 — — 31 7
Total 75 9 6 1 — — 81 10
Groningen 2016–17 Eredivisie 33 2 2 0 — 2[c] 0 37 2
2017–18 Eredivisie 12 0 1 0 — — 13 0
Total 45 2 3 0 — 2 0 50 2
1. FC Kaiserslautern (loan) 2017–18 2. Bundesliga 14 0 0 0 — — 14 0
Brann 2018 Eliteserien 12 0 0 0 — — 12 0
2019 Eliteserien 26 3 4 0 2[b] 0 — 32 3
Total 38 3 4 0 2 0 0 0 44 3
Brann 2 2019 3. divisjon 1 0 — — — 1 0
Tromsø 2020 1. divisjon 29 2 — — — 29 2
2021 Eliteserien 29 0 2 0 — — 31 0
2022 Eliteserien 27 2 0 0 — — 27 2
2023 Eliteserien 29 2 4 0 — — 33 2
2024 Eliteserien 27 2 1 0 4[d] 0 — 32 2
2025 Eliteserien 30 2 2 0 — — 32 2
Total 171 10 9 0 4 0 0 0 184 10
Career total 515 28 51 5 22 1 2 0 590 34

International

As of 4 September 2016[37]
National team Year Apps Goals
Norway 2010 5 0
2011 5 0
2012 9 0
2013 10 0
2014 5 0
2015 0 0
2016 5 0
Total 39 0

Honours

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c "Ruben Yttergård Jenssen". altomfotball.no (in Norwegian). TV 2. Archived from the original on 6 December 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  2. ^ Thue, Erik (17 April 2011). "Topp mot botn" (in Norwegian). Sogn Avis. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d Kvamme, Sigve (14 April 2006). "Trosset mamma og ble fotballspiller" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  4. ^ "TIL henter opp en junior" (in Norwegian). Nordlys. Avisenes Nyhetsbyrå. 7 April 2006. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  5. ^ Home, Anders; Steinsvik, Andreas; Sætre, Nils-Jarle (27 April 2007). "Yttergård Jenssen kan bli gullgruve" (in Norwegian). iTromsø. Archived from the original on 6 December 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  6. ^ Haraldsen, Stian (26 April 2007). "TIL-talent vurderer tilbud fra Belgia" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  7. ^ Grindstein jr., Gunnar (13 June 2007). "Har fått tilbud fra Standard Liege" (in Norwegian). Nordlys. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  8. ^ "Yttergård Jensen blir i Tromsø" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. Norwegian News Agency. 15 June 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  9. ^ Hotvedt, Marte (20 July 2008). "- Jævlig deilig!" (in Norwegian). Nordlys. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  10. ^ Burheim, Mads Gudim (24 August 2008). "- Har fått beskjed om å skyte" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  11. ^ a b Hanssen, Kine; Olaussen, Maja (4 August 2011). "Ruben Yttergård Jenssen satt ut av spill" (in Norwegian). iTromsø. Archived from the original on 6 December 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  12. ^ a b "Rubens suksessår" (in Norwegian). itromso.no. 15 December 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  13. ^ Grindstein, Gunnar; Greiner, Robert (10 August 2011). "Vitesse Arnhem vil kjøpe Yttergård Jensen" (in Norwegian). NRK. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  14. ^ Wedervang, Mats (21 August 2011). "Yttergård Jenssen scoret sitt første Tippeliga-mål på tre år: – Det var på tide" (in Norwegian). TV 2. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  15. ^ Hanssen, Anders Mo (7 November 2012). "Syk Ruben blir hjemme" (in Norwegian). Nordlys. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  16. ^ Kvam, Lars Hojem; Haarstad, Thomas (4 June 2013). "- Kaiserslautern er et perfekt sted å starte utenlandskarrieren" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  17. ^ "Rückkehrer Jenssen erster Winter-Zugang des FCK". kicker Online (in German). 4 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  18. ^ "Yttergård Jenssen blir Brann-spiller". SK Brann (in Norwegian). 11 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  19. ^ "Velkommen hjem, Ruben!". Tromsø IL (in Norwegian). 18 January 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  20. ^ "Tromsø rykket ned med for dårlig målforskjell: – Takk og god natt" (in Norwegian). Eurosport. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  21. ^ Brekke, Anja Ariel Tørnes; Grindstein, Gunnar. "Tromsø sikret opprykk på overtid" [Tromsø secured promotion in the extra time] (in Norwegian). NRK. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  22. ^ "Tar over som kaptein i TIL" (in Norwegian). NRK. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  23. ^ "Skal styre skipet i to nye år" [Will steer the ship for two more years] (in Norwegian). Tromsø IL. 28 September 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  24. ^ Einangshaug, Henrik (19 September 2025). "Ruben Yttergård Jenssen forlenger karrieren i Tromsø" [Ruben Yttergård Jenssen extends his career at Tromsø]. NRK. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  25. ^ a b "En jury bestående av Norsk Toppfotball og TV 2 kårer Ruben Yttergård Jenssen til Norsk Tipping månedens spiller i Eliteserien for august og september". Facebook (in Norwegian). Eliteserien. 26 October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  26. ^ a b Vik, Jo Are (30 May 2010). "Ruben for Drillo". fotball.no (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway.
  27. ^ a b "Ruben Yttergård Jenssen's profil". fotball.no (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  28. ^ Farshchian, Aslân W.A. (30 May 2010). "Storebror Riise gråt i bryllupet" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  29. ^ a b Sivertsen, Øvind (15 December 2012). "Nygift Yttergård Jenssen: – Jeg ble litt stresset" (in Norwegian). iTromsø. Archived from the original on 6 December 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  30. ^ Pedersen, Eirik Bang (11 June 2013). "Stolt av gullklokken" (in Norwegian). Bladet Tromsø. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  31. ^ a b Eilertsen, Tobias Stein (27 August 2019). "Slik blir Rubens liv etter karriereslutt i Tromsø" [This is how Ruben's life will become after ending his career in Tromsø] (in Norwegian). iTromsø. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  32. ^ Johansen, Øyvind Chr. (12 October 2011). "Scouting report: Ruben Yttergård Jenssen, Tromsø IL" (in Norwegian). scan-scout.com. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  33. ^ Ellingsen, Roy (1 November 2012). "Jenssen vil til Bergen (nesten) med det samme" (in Norwegian). Bergens Tidende. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  34. ^ "Ruben Yttergård Jenssen" (in Norwegian). NIFS. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  35. ^ "Ruben Yttergård Jenssen Statistikk". Norges Fotballforbund. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  36. ^ "Ruben Jenssen » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  37. ^ "Ruben Yttergård Jenssen". eu-football.info (in Norwegian). EU Football. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
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