MONTREAL - CF Montréal announced on Wednesday that they have acquired forward Bjørn Johnsen, from South Korean Premier League club Ulsan Hyundai. Johnsen signed a two-year contract with an option for 2023 using Targeted Allocation Money. The agreement will be confirmed upon reception of his international transfer certificate and medical examination.
“We are pleased with the acquisition of such a seasoned player, with extended experience in Europe and Asia”, said CF Montréal sporting director, Olivier Renard. “Bjørn is a big and very mobile striker. He has shown his capacity to score goals in all the clubs he has played for in the past, and with the Norwegian national team.”
Born in New York to an American mother and a Norwegian father, Johnsen, 29, spent his formative years in North Carolina, before moving to Norway, where he joined Vålerenga Fotball's youth teams. In 2010, at the age of 18, he played half a season in the club’s reserve team. He made his professional debut the following year for Kjelsås IL, in the second division, and, at the end of 2011, he played in Spain, followed by a stint in Portugal. In 2014, under the colours of Atlético Clube de Portugal, he played 31 games, scoring 16 goals, finishing the season in the second rank of the Portuguese second tier’s scoring charts.
Johnsen then moved to PFC Litex Lovech, in Bulgaria, where he scored a total of 14 goals in 38 games, notably helping the club qualify for the Europa League. The following season in Scotland, with Heart of Midlothian FC, he took part in 37 games, tallying seven goals and seven assists. After his stint with the Hearts, Johnsen was transferred to ADO Den Haag, of the Dutch Eredivise. He played a total of 37 games there, scoring 19 goals. He was then transferred to AZ Alkmaar, in 2018, scoring seven goals in 26 games, before leaving on a six-month loan to Rosenborg BK, of the Norwegian Premier League, where he scored six goals in 16 games.
More recently, in January 2020, the forward joined Ulsan Hyundai of the Korean K League 1, where he scored 11 goals in 31 games. He lifted the AFC Champions League trophy last December, scoring five goals in nine games during the competition and allowing his club to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup.
On the international stage, Johnsen made his debut for Norway in 2017, during the European qualifiers for the World Cup. He has been capped 16 times, scoring five goals and providing one assist for his national team.
Transaction: CF Montréal acquires forward Bjørn Johnsen from South Korean 1st division club Ulsan Hyundai, and signs him to a two-year contract, with an option year for 2023.
BJØRN JOHNSEN
Position: Forward
Height: 6’5’’
Weight: 177 lbs
Date of Birth: November 6, 1991
Birthplace: New York, New York
Nationality: USA/Norway
Last Club: Ulsan Hyundai, South Korea
Date acquired: February 3, 2021
