Eric Gerets facts for kids
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Gerets in 2012
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 18 May 1954 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Rekem, Belgium | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Right-back | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1964–1971 | AA Rekem | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1971–1983 | Standard Liège | 318 | (23) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1984 | A.C. Milan | 13 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1985 | MVV | 12 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1992 | PSV | 200 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 543 | (32) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1975–1991 | Belgium | 86 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | RFC Liège | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1997 | Lierse | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Club Brugge | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2002 | PSV | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | VfL Wolfsburg | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Galatasaray | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Marseille | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Al-Hilal | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Morocco | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Lekhwiya | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Al Jazira | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Eric Maria Gerets (born 18 May 1954) is a famous Belgian football player and manager. He was known as "The Lion (of Flanders)" because of his strong playing style.
Eric Gerets played as a right-back, which is a defensive position on the right side of the field. He started his career as an amateur player for a local team called AA Rekem. Later, he became very successful with big clubs like Standard Liège and PSV. Many people think he was one of the best right-backs in Europe during his time. He is also considered one of the greatest Belgian football players ever.
A big highlight of his career was when he was the captain of PSV. He led them to win their first and only European Cup in 1988. This is one of the most important club trophies in European football.
After he stopped playing, Eric Gerets became a successful coach. He is one of only six managers in history to win top league championships in at least four different countries. This shows how good he was both as a player and as a coach.
Contents
Eric Gerets' Club Career
Eric Gerets began his football journey with an amateur team called AA Rekem. He then joined Standard Liège, a professional club. His first game for Standard was on April 16, 1972.
In the 1972–73 season, Standard Liège reached the Cup final. Eric Gerets played in this important match. Standard lost 2–1 to their rivals, Anderlecht. The next season, he became the main right-back for Standard Liège. In 1975, he also started playing for the Belgian national team.
Eric Gerets played for several well-known clubs. These included Standard Liège, A.C. Milan in Italy, MVV Maastricht in the Netherlands, and PSV also in the Netherlands. During his time as a player, he won many important titles. He won the 1987–88 European Cup, which is a huge achievement. He also won two Belgian championships and six Dutch championships.
Gerets was known for being a strong and smart right-back. He had great energy and was very tough mentally. He was also famous for his long throw-ins, which could help his team attack. He is the third most-capped player for the Belgium national team. He played 86 games for his country and scored two goals.
Playing for Standard Liège
In the 1980s, a new group of talented players joined Standard Liège. The club hired famous coaches like Ernst Happel and Raymond Goethals. Players such as Arie Haan and Michel Preud'homme became key members of the team. Eric Gerets was the captain of this strong team.
In 1980, Standard finished second in their league. The next year, they won the 1981 National Cup. In 1982, Standard won the league title. A few days later, they played against Barcelona in the European Cup Winners' Cup final. They lost that game 2–1. Eric Gerets' important role in Standard's success was recognized. He won the 1982 Belgian Golden Shoe award, which is given to the best player in Belgium. The next year, he captained Standard to win another league title.
Playing for PSV Eindhoven
In 1985, Eric Gerets joined PSV. He played alongside other great players like Ruud Gullit and Romário. In 1986, Gerets helped PSV win the league title. After Gullit left in 1987, Gerets became the new captain of PSV.
Under coach Guus Hiddink, PSV had amazing success. They won the league and cup in three years in a row. In 1988, PSV reached the UEFA European Cup final. They played against Benfica. The game was 0–0 even after extra time. PSV then won the trophy by winning a penalty shootout. This was a historic moment for the club.
In 1990, Bobby Robson became the new coach. Under Robson, Gerets won two more league titles with PSV. He retired from playing football at the end of the 1991–1992 season. He was 37 years old when he stopped playing.
Eric Gerets' International Career
Eric Gerets played 86 games for the Belgium national team. He first played for his country in 1975. He represented Belgium in four major tournaments. These included the 1980 European Championship and three World Cups (1982, 1986, and 1990).
In 1980, Gerets played in his first European Championship in Italy. He scored the first goal in a 2–1 win against Spain. This win helped Belgium win their group. Belgium surprisingly reached the final of the tournament. They only lost 2–1 to West Germany in the last minutes of the game.
At the 1982 World Cup, Belgium, led by captain Gerets, had a famous victory. They beat the defending champions Argentina 1–0 in their first game. This was a big upset against a team with a young Diego Maradona.
Four years later, in 1986, Belgium had their best World Cup run at that time. They finished in fourth place. Gerets was the captain of this team. Belgium won against strong teams like the Soviet Union and Spain. They lost to Argentina in the semi-final, who went on to win the tournament. Despite the loss, finishing fourth was a great achievement for Belgium.
Gerets also captained Belgium at the 1990 World Cup finals. Belgium played against England in the second round. They lost in the very last minute of extra time.
Eric Gerets' Managerial Career
After retiring as a player, Eric Gerets became a football manager. He coached several clubs in different countries. He managed RFC Liège, Lierse, and Club Brugge in Belgium. He also coached his former club PSV in the Netherlands.
Gerets then moved to Germany to manage 1. FC Kaiserslautern and VfL Wolfsburg. In the 1996–97 season, he won the Belgian championship with Lierse. He repeated this success with Club Brugge in 1998–99. He also won the Dutch championships twice with PSV (1999–2000 and 2000–01).
In 2005, he joined Galatasaray in Turkey. He led them to win the Turkish Premier Super League in the 2005–06 season. In May 2007, he left Galatasaray. On September 25, he became the coach of Marseille in France.
In his first year with Marseille in 2007, he helped the team improve a lot. They went from near the bottom of the league to finish in third place. In 2009, he moved to Saudi Arabia to coach Al-Hilal. He signed a two-year contract with them.
In 2010, he signed a contract to manage the Morocco national team. He coached Morocco for almost two years. He was let go in September 2012 after a loss to Mozambique.
Less than a month later, in October 2012, he became the head coach of Lekhwiya in Qatar. In the 2013–14 season, he helped Lekhwiya win another Qatari championship title. Gerets left Lekhwiya and became the head coach of Al Jazira Club in the United Arab Emirates in May 2014.
Honours and Awards
Eric Gerets won many trophies and awards during his career as both a player and a manager.
As a Player:
- Standard Liège
- Belgian First Division: 1981–82, 1982–83
- Belgian Cup: 1980–81
- Belgian Super Cup: 1981
- Belgian League Cup: 1975
- European Cup Winners' Cup runner-up: 1981–82
- PSV Eindhoven
- Eredivisie (Dutch League): 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1991–92
- KNVB Cup (Dutch Cup): 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90
- European Cup: 1987–88
- With Belgium National Team
- UEFA European Championship runner-up: 1980
- FIFA World Cup fourth place: 1986
- Individual Awards
- Belgian Golden Shoe (Best Belgian Player): 1982
- Belgian National Sports Merit Award: 1980
- Named to various "All-Star" teams for his great performances.
As a Manager:
- Lierse
- Belgian First Division: 1996–97
- Club Brugge
- Belgian First Division: 1997–98
- Belgian Super Cup: 1998
- PSV Eindhoven
- Eredivisie (Dutch League): 1999–2000, 2000–01
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2000, 2001
- Galatasaray
- Süper Lig (Turkish League): 2005–06
- Al Hilal
- Saudi Professional League: 2009–10
- Saudi Crown Prince Cup: 2010
- Morocco
- Arab Cup: 2012
- Lekhwiya
- Qatar Stars League: 2013–14
- Crown Prince Cup: 2013
- Individual Manager Awards
- Belgian Professional Manager of the Year: 1996–97, 1997–98
- Ligue 1 Manager of the Year (France): 2008–09
- Raymond Goethals award: 2011
See also
In Spanish: Eric Gerets para niños
