René Vandereycken

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

René Vandereycken is a Belgian former professional footballer and manager. Born on 22 July 1953 in Spalbeek, he played as a midfielder for clubs including Club Brugge, Genoa, Anderlecht and Gent. He appeared 50 times for the Belgium national team from 1975 to 1986, scoring three goals.

Vandereycken played in the 1980 European Championship, where Belgium reached the final. He scored a penalty in the final, which Belgium lost 2–1 to West Germany.

After retiring as a player, he became a coach. He led Gent, Standard Liège, RWD Molenbeek, and Anderlecht, and also managed Mainz 05, Twente, and Genk. He was Belgium’s head coach from 2006 to 2009, but was dismissed in April 2009 after poor results in World Cup qualifying. He is known for his defensive approach and tactical thinking.