Stijn Stijnen

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Stijn Stijnen

Stijnen in training with Brugge
Personal information
Full nameStijn Stijnen
Date of birth (1981-04-07) 7 April 1981
Place of birthHasselt, Belgium
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing positionGoalkeeper
Club information
Current clubBeerschot
Number30
Youth career
1989-1993Runkst VV
1993-2000K.S.C. Hasselt
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1998–2000K.S.C. Hasselt?(0)
2000–2011Club Brugge144(0)
2011–Beerschot33(0)
National team
2006–2009Belgium30(0)
Teams managed
2012–K.S.K. Hasselt (Chairman)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 June 2012.
† Appearances (Goals).

Stijn Stijnen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈstɛi̯n ˈstɛi̯.nə(n)]; born 7 April 1981 in Hasselt, Limburg) is a Belgian footballer who plays for Beerschot AC as a goalkeeper.

Club career

Stijnen moved from K.S.C. Hasselt to Club Brugge K.V. in 2000, aged 19, and became the club's first stand-in for veteran Dany Verlinden; when the latter retired at 41, he backed up Tomislav Butina. On 18 April 2003, he made his debut in the league, in a game against Racing Genk (0–3). However, his big breakthrough came in the 2005–06 season, when he replaced the injured Butina several times. Some strong performances (including the UEFA Champions League contest against Juventus FC – a 1–2 group stage home loss)[1] made him the undisputed first-choice onwards.

In 2006–07, Stijnen was between the posts as Brugge won the domestic cup (1–0 against Standard Liège), but the club only finished sixth in the league. He never played in less than 31 league games in the following three seasons, but the club did not manage to win any silverware.

On 20 February 2011, Stijnen was relegated to the B-team, after it became known that he and his family members had engaged in a malicious anonymous campaign on the club's message board, where they were bashing both the club management and fellow team members while simultaneously hailing Stijnen as the "club hero" in order to promote his profile. The following day, both parties agreed to dissolve the contract which bound the player to the club until 2015.[2]

International career

Belgium manager René Vandereycken noticed Stijnen's performances at club level, and handed him his debut in a friendly against Saudi Arabia, on 11 May 2006.

In March 2007, before an UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier in Portugal, Stijnen reportedly claimed his teammates should take opponent star Cristiano Ronaldo out of the game in an early stage, by all means necessary.[3][4] Eventually the home side won 4–0, with Ronaldo scoring twice, and the Manchester United player accepted the Belgian's apologies.[5]

Stijnen retired from international play in October 2009, after collecting 30 caps.[6]

Club statistics

Season Club Country Competition Games Goals
2002/03 Club Brugge  Belgium Belgian League 2 0
2003/04 Club Brugge  Belgium Belgian League 0 0
2004/05 Club Brugge  Belgium Belgian League 1 0
2005/06 Club Brugge  Belgium Belgian League 15 0
2006/07 Club Brugge  Belgium Belgian League 27 0
2007/08 Club Brugge  Belgium Belgian League 31 0
2008/09 Club Brugge  Belgium Belgian League 31 0
2009/10 Club Brugge  Belgium Belgian League 35 0
2010/11 Club Brugge  Belgium Belgian League 12 0
2011/12 Beerschot AC  Belgium Belgian League 13 0
2012/13 Beerschot AC  Belgium Belgian League 20 0

References

  1. ↑ Juve start in familiar fashion; UEFA.com, 14 September 2005
  2. ↑ Singing my praises! Brugge keeper Stijnen leaves club after internet smear campaign; Daily Mail, 22 February 2011
  3. ↑ Thursday gossip column; BBC Sport, 22 March 2007
  4. ↑ Fergie wanted Boateng action; Sky Sports, 31 March 2007
  5. ↑ Ronaldo makes Stijnen peace; Sky Sports, 26 March 2007
  6. ↑ "Belgian keeper Stijnen retires". Agence France Presse. 5 October 2009. 

External links

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