Lorenzo Staelens

Lorenzo Staelens
Personal information
Full nameLorenzo Jules Staelens
Date of birth30 April 1964
Place of birthLauwe, Belgium
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing positionSweeper / Midfielder
Club information
Current team
unemployed
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1982–1987KWSC Lauwe
1987–1989Kortrijk64(11)
1989–1998Club Brugge286(75)
1998–2000Anderlecht67(10)
2001Oita Trinita26(2)
National team
1990–2000Belgium70(8)
Teams managed
2002–2003Mouscron
2004Eendracht Aalst
2007–2008Roeselare (assistant)
2008–2013Cercle Brugge (assistant)
2013–2014Cercle Brugge
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Lorenzo Jules Staelens (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈloː.rɛn.zo ˈstaː.ləns]) (born 30 April 1964 in Lauwe) is a retired Belgian footballer and currently unemployed manager after being released in October 2014 by Belgian Pro League side Cercle Brugge.

Having started his career as a defensive midfielder, he finished it as sweeper at nearly 40, and scored more than 100 goals overall.

Staelens appeared for the Belgian national team in three World Cups, adding the Euro 2000 tournament played on home soil.

Club career

Staelens started his professional career with K.V. Kortrijk at already 23, and his two solid seasons there attracted the attention of top division giants Club Brugge KV.

There, he proceeded to form a legendary midfield partnership with Franky Van der Elst, that would last nearly a decade. Staelens played 369 games in all competitions for the club, scoring 105 goals.

At already 34, and more often than not playing in the backline, he moved to R.S.C. Anderlecht, still being instrumental in the club's back-to-back championships (2000 and 2001), and winning the Belgian Golden Shoe in 1999; however, he did not finish his last year, moving to Japan's Oita Trinita in early 2001 and retiring shortly after.

Staelens took up coaching subsequently, first with R.E. Mouscron. After only two months at V.C. Eendracht Aalst, he returned to first club Kortrijk as its general manager, only returning to the benches in 2007, as assistant coach at K.S.V. Roeselare.

Staelens kept that role in the subsequent years, with the other team from Bruges, Cercle KSV.

International career

As an inexperienced international player, Staelens was selected to Belgium's squad for the 1990 FIFA World Cup; there, he appeared in the 12 group stage match against Spain.

From then on, Staelens became an essential national team member, representing it also at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups and in UEFA Euro 2000, totalling a further 10 complete matches.[1]

Statistics

Club

Club performance League
Season Club League Apps Goals
Belgium League
1987/88KortrijkBelgian Pro League324
1988/89327
1989/90BruggeBelgian Pro League344
1990/91334
1991/92315
1992/93347
1993/943312
1994/953416
1995/963012
1996/97318
1997/98266
1998/99AnderlechtBelgian Pro League246
1999/00291
2000/01143
Japan League
2001Oita TrinitaJ. League 2262
Country Belgium 41795
Japan 262
Total 44397

International

Belgium national team
YearAppsGoals
199030
199130
199241
199360
1994110
199580
199630
199765
199880
1999111
200071
Total708

Honours

References

  1. Lorenzo StaelensFIFA competition record

External links