Gert Verheyen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣɛrt fərˈɦɛiə(n)];[a] also spelled Verheijen; born 20 September 1970) is a Belgian retired footballer and manager, who was last in charge of Oostende.
 Verheyen in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 20 September 1970 | ||
| Place of birth | Hoogstraten, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1978–1986 | Hoogstraten VV | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1986–1988 | Lierse | 39 | (10) |
| 1988–1992 | Anderlecht | 64 | (3) |
| 1992–2006 | Club Brugge | 480 | (157) |
| Total | 583 | (170) | |
| International career | |||
| 1994–2002 | Belgium | 50 | (10) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2006–2007 | Club Brugge (youth) | ||
| 2013–2018 | Belgium U19 | ||
| 2018–2019 | Oostende | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
In a 20-year professional career, he was mainly associated with Anderlecht and Club Brugge (especially the latter), scoring over 200 official goals for both clubs combined; he was known to have rather few technical skills, relying on a hard-working approach.[1]
Verheyen represented Belgium in two World Cups and one European Championship. His father Jan was also player and international for Belgium from 1965 till 1976.
Club career
editBorn in Hoogstraten, Antwerp, Verheyen started playing professionally with Lierse, scoring ten Belgian Second Division goals in his two season-spell, as he was not yet aged 18. In the 1988 summer he moved to Anderlecht, where he did not have a good scoring record, also appearing rarely in his first two years.[2]
In 1992, Verheyen signed with Club Brugge, where he would remain for the next 14 years, rarely missing a game and netting in double digits in ten of those campaigns, with the side collecting four leagues and two cups. In October 2000 he was expected to move to England with Ipswich Town,[3] but the deal eventually fell through.[4]
After more than 500 overall appearances for Brugge (with 195 goals), Verheyen retired on 5 May 2006,[5] becoming a reserve team trainer at the club in 2006–07 and quitting football subsequently at the season's end.
International career
editVerheyen earned exactly 50 caps for the Belgium national team during eight years, scoring ten times. He was selected for the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups as well as UEFA Euro 2000, the latter played on home soil.
Verheyen's was controversially sent off at the 1998 World Cup in France, as the Red Devils led 2–0 against Mexico. The foul resulted in a penalty, and the match ended a 2–2 draw;[6][7] despite the incident, he continued to be a regular in the next few years.
Honours
editPlayer
editAnderlecht[8]
- Belgian First Division: 1990–91
- Belgian Cup: 1988–89
- European Cup Winners' Cup: runners-up 1989–90[9]
- Bruges Matins: 1988[10]
Club Brugge[11]
- Belgian First Division: 1995–96, 1997–98, 2002–03, 2004–05
- Belgian Cup: 1994–95, 1995–96, 2001–02, 2003–04; runners-up: 1997–98, 2004–05[12]
- Belgian Supercup: 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
- Bruges Matins: 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006[10]
- Jules Pappaert Cup: 1995, 2005[13]
Belgium
Notes
edit- ^ In isolation, Verheyen is pronounced [vərˈɦɛiə(n)]}.
References
edit- ^ Euro 2000 profile; BBC Sport
- ^ 'Big Gert' comes of age; BBC Sport, 3 June 2002
- ^ Ipswich set to sign Verheyen; BBC Sport, 3 October 2000
- ^ Ipswich ditch Verheyen deal; BBC Sport, 5 October 2000
- ^ Gert Verheyen quitte le Club Brugeois (Gert Verheyen quits Club Brugge) Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine; Club Brugge, 2006 (in French)
- ^ "Whistler Dallas in red card storm". The Free Library. 21 June 1998. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ Gert Verheyen – FIFA competition record (archived)
- ^ "RSC Anderlecht | Palmares".
- ^ "Tijdperk-Vanden Stock: 20 landstitels, 8 bekers en 3 Europabekers".
- ^ a b "Winnaars Brugse Metten".
- ^ "Club Brugge | Palmares".
- ^ "Voetbal - Belgische Beker : Erelijst en medaillewinnaars". www.sportuitslagen.org. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Jules Pappaert Cup".
- ^ FIFA.com. "Belgium honoured with the FIFA Fair Play Award". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
External links
edit- Club Brugge archives (in Dutch)
- Gert Verheyen at National-Football-Teams.com
- Official fansite[permanent dead link] (in Dutch)
- Gert Verheyen at the Royal Belgian Football Association