CARL HANSEN was Rangers’ first foreign player, the first to score in a Scottish Cup Final and also the first to score in an Old Firm match.
However, his is not a name you will find in the Rangers Hall of Fame. In fact, most Light Blues fans may never have heard of him, which is perhaps little wonder since he played just 33 times over three seasons for Rangers, with his last appearance coming over 90 years ago.
Despite this, there has always been a certain romanticism around Hansen - known in his homeland as ‘Skoma’r’, (Danish for ‘shoemaker).
He may not have followed his father trade as a cobbler, but Carl conjured more than a little magic out of a pair of football boots!
In fact, although his career barely got off the ground in Scotland, he became a bit of a football star in his homeland, playing seven times for Denmark and also representing his country in the 1920 Summer Olympics.
This, in itself, would be enough for him to be popularised amongst his countrymen, but there was another part of his story that helped enhance the folklore surrounding Carl Skoma’r Hansen.
He was revered by the Danes as one who defied the German occupation during the Second World War - resistance that would see him cast into a Nazi internment camp for four months in 1943. His crime was that he refused to work with the Danish collaborators.
His punishment was ill-treatment, firstly in the Kastellet fortress, then in the Nazi camp in Neumunster.
If Hansen needed solace by reflecting on happier times when incarcerated, he would no doubt have found some comfort in his recollections of Rangers and an association that went back to 1921.
It was then that the Ibrox side concluded a three-match tour with a game against a Copenhagen Select side inspired by a skilful, tricky little forward – Carl Hansen. Although they lost 2-1, it was a spirited performance by the Scandinavians and Rangers boss Bill Struth was greatly impressed by the young Dane.
He later commented: “Hansen played so brilliantly I just could not resist. Seldom had I seen a player who could turn so quickly on the ball, and he was two footed.”
At the end of the game, Struth made orchestrations to bring Hansen back to Glasgow to trial for the Light Blues. A few months later, with the necessary work permits in place, Hansen set sail for Scotland, arriving in Leith. It was a brave move as he knew little about the country and even less of the language!
Hansen’s personal recollections of his arrival provide some fascinating insight to the awkwardness of the language difficulties he faced.
He said, “Mr Struth, met me at the boat. I had been given a work permit as a student of modern languages, specifically English. I was going to study English all right – I had to as the only words I was fluent in were ‘yes’ and ‘no’. It can be imagined what an interesting conversation Mr Struth and I carried on in the train back to Glasgow.
Without much ado, Hansen was pitched in to the reserves for a game against Hamilton Accies and, showed ‘splendid control of the ball and a great turn of speed’.
He clearly impressed and his opportunity in the first team came immediately afterwards, against Queen’s Park on 22 November 1921 in a charity match for the Lord Provosts Unemployment Relief Fund.
A penalty after five minutes gave Hansen his first goal and he capped a ‘sparkling display’ with a hat-trick in a 3-2 win for Rangers.
Struth knew that he had uncovered a potential diamond and moved quickly to tie up the Dane in a contract for a year. In later correspondence, Hansen outlined the terms he was offered by the Rangers boss.
He said: “The offer was £6 a week when I played in the second team and £8 a week in first team, with a £2 in Bonus for a win, £1 for a draw.” He was to later find that there were added bonuses for beating Celtic in the New Year fixture!
He recalled that the players got £10 for beating Celtic on New Year's Day, £5 if they went on to beat Partick Thistle the next day and a further £2 if they won their match the following Saturday. For Carl, who had come from the strictly amateur game in Denmark, these were great rewards!
Rangers already had a great centre-forward in George Henderson, but Struth found that the Dane was hard to leave out the side. Having almost singlehandedly despatched Queen’s Park in the Lord Provost’s tournament, Hansen was thrown into the final against Celtic. Another penalty from the Dane set Rangers on their way to a 2-0 victory over the team’s greatest rivals.
Hansen’s popularity amongst the fans soared, but no matter his skill one newspaper questioned if any other had such ball-juggling skills and there was a fear he was vulnerable to injury.
He was five foot eight inches high (1.70m) but slender built in the Scottish game that was extremely physical at the time. Indeed, even back home in Denmark, Hansen found himself on the end of some rough play and twice sustained broken legs before Rangers appeared on the scene.
Further injuries inevitably came and within a year of joining Rangers, Hansen was out with a broken bone in his foot. Two years later he sustained a particularly bad fracture in two places, and after a long period of rehabilitation the Glasgow side released him to continue his recovery back home in Denmark. Injury was to plague the Dane and by the time he had hung up his boots he had suffered four breaks - ‘2-2’ he would say, for two in each leg.
Hansen never returned to the Rangers as a player, but when he regained fitness he reinstated as an amateur allowing him to play in his homeland once more. When he returned to Denmark he played for a further three years before the ravages of injury took their toll. He turned to coaching, becoming one of the most respected in the game.
In many ways, Hansen’s career and potential was unfulfilled in Scotland, but he was hugely popular amongst the fans and he reciprocated with his love of the country and Rangers. In fact, in later years, he built up a great personal relationship with the man who signed him – Bill Struth. Indeed, it was a friendship that endured until Struth died in 1956.
But for injury, Carl Hansen may well have made the Rangers Hall of Fame. He remains, however, one of the most fascinating players to have worn the light blue jersey.
On Tuesday the Gers are in action against Danish opposition, with the other Great Dane, Brian Laudrup in attendance as FC Copenhagen come to Ibrox in a mid-season friendly - you can pick up your tickets HERE and find out more HERE.
The author of this piece, David Mason, who is the official club historian regularly writes pieces about the history of our club in the matchday programme - make sure and get your hands on one when you're at the game for more interesting stories from the past.
You can find out more about the illustrious history of the club by picking up a ticket to our Museum, or by enjoying a Tour of Ibrox that culminates at the stadium. Pick up your ticket HERE.