Christian Kalvenes was born in the city of Bergen and started his senior career with SK Brann, but played only one match.
After several good seasons as a central defender in Åsane he was taken to a Sogndal teams vying for promotion to the Premier League in the summer of 2000.
[4] Following an injury in mid-April, Kalvenes confirmed he had played his last match for the club, and that he would return to Norway at the end of the season to be closer to his family.
However, he continued to be a regular starter and ended his Dundee United career as he started in his penultimate appearance in April 2008 – with a goal against Rangers.
His move to Burnley came as a surprise as it was believed that he would be heading back home to Norway, as stated by the player when he left Dundee Utd at the end of the 2007–2008 season.
The 31-year-old Norwegian left full back, pronounced 'Kal-Ven-Es', signed a two-year deal with the Clarets after his contract with the Scottish club expired.
He was to play an important role in the Clarets promotion winning campaign, making twenty-one league appearances with his only goal of the season proving to be a vital one.
It came in March at Bloomfield Road on a cold, wet Tuesday evening when his late strike secured an important 1–0 victory over Lancashire rivals Blackpool.
During his spell at Burnley F.C and Dundee United, he often preached about the importance of pursuing an academic career to High School and College students.