Leo Van der Elst (born 7 January 1962) is a Belgian retired footballer who played mainly as a midfielder. He amassed Belgian Pro League totals of 406 games and 67 goals over the course of 15 seasons, mainly in representation of Antwerp, Club Brugge and Genk. His older brother, François, was also a professional footballer, and both were Belgian internationals.[1]
 Van der Elst in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 7 January 1962 | ||
| Place of birth | Opwijk, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| HO Merchtem | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1979–1984 | Antwerp | 150 | (25) |
| 1984–1988 | Club Brugge | 123 | (30) |
| 1988 | Metz | 13 | (1) |
| 1988–1989 | RKC | 17 | (1) |
| 1989–1990 | Charleroi | 29 | (1) |
| 1990–1994 | Genk | 83 | (10) |
| 1994–1995 | Eendracht Aalst | 21 | (1) |
| Total | 436 | (69) | |
| International career | |||
| 1984–1987 | Belgium | 13 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1999–2000 | Oostende | ||
| 2002–2003 | Eendracht Aalst | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Football career
editVan der Elst was born in Opwijk. During his career he played for Royal Antwerp FC, Club Brugge KV (where he often partnered namesake Franky, contributing with five goals in 30 games to the conquest of the 1987–88 edition of the Belgian First Division A), FC Metz, RKC Waalwijk, R. Charleroi SC, K.R.C. Genk and V.C. Eendracht Aalst 2002, retiring in 1995 at 33; subsequently, he began a coaching career.
Van der Elst earned 13 caps for Belgium and was selected, alongside Franky, to the 1986 FIFA World Cup. There, in the quarter-final clash against Spain, he scored the penalty shootout decider after the 1–1 in regulation time.[2]
Honours
editClub
editClub Brugge[3]
- Belgian Pro League: 1987–88
- Belgian Cup: 1985–85
- Belgian Supercup: 1986
- Bruges Matins: 1984[4]
International
editBelgium
Individual
editReferences
edit- ^ Scholten, Berend (11 January 2017). "Belgium mourns François Van der Elst". UEFA.com. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
- ^ "1–1: Buenas noches, España" [1–1: Good night, Spain]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 23 June 1986. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Club Brugge | Palmares".
- ^ "Winnaars Brugse Metten".
- ^ "FIFA 1986 World Cup". Archived from the original on 5 June 2016.
- ^ "Homme de la saison belge".
External links
edit- Club Brugge archives (in Dutch) at the Wayback Machine (archived 16 November 2010)
- Leo Van der Elst at National-Football-Teams.com
- Leo Van der Elst – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Leo Van der Elst at EU-Football.info
- Leo Van der Elst at WorldFootball.net