Marc Wilmots facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marc Wilmots
Wilmots in 2019
Senator
In office 5 June 2003 – 12 July 2007
Constituency	French-speaking electoral college
Personal details
Born	Marc Robert Wilmots (1969-02-22) 22 February 1969 (age 56) Jodoigne, Belgium
Political party	Mouvement Réformateur
Association football career Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) Position(s) Attacking midfielder Youth career 1980–1985 CS Jodoigne 1985–1987 Sint-Truiden Senior career* Years Team Apps (Gls) 1987–1988 Sint-Truiden 30 (9) 1988–1991 Mechelen 87 (22) 1991–1996 Standard Liège 136 (67) 1996–2000 Schalke 04 104 (21) 2000–2001 Bordeaux 30 (8) 2001–2003 Schalke 04 34 (6) Total 421 (133) International career 1986–1987 Belgium U19 9 (3) 1987–1989 Belgium U21 9 (6) 1990–2002 Belgium 70 (28) Managerial career 2003 Schalke 04 (caretaker) 2004–2005 Sint-Truiden 2012–2016 Belgium 2017 Ivory Coast 2019 Iran 2021–2022 Raja CA *Club domestic league appearances and goals

Marc Robert Wilmots (born on February 22, 1969) is a famous Belgian football player and manager. He was also a sporting director for Schalke 04 recently.

During his time as a player, Marc Wilmots was an attacking midfielder. He won important awards with teams like KV Mechelen, Standard Liège, and Schalke 04. He played for the Belgian national team 70 times. He was part of the Belgian team in four World Cups: 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002. He also played in the Euro 2000 tournament, which Belgium co-hosted.

Besides his football career, Wilmots also became a politician. He was a Senator in Belgium for four years. He belonged to the Mouvement Réformateur party.

Marc Wilmots' Club Career

Marc Wilmots started his club football career in 1987. He played for several teams, including Sint-Truiden, Mechelen, Standard Liège, Schalke 04, and Bordeaux.

One of his biggest achievements was helping Schalke 04 win the 1997 UEFA Cup final in 1997. He scored a goal in the first game of the final. Schalke 04 won the match in a penalty shootout, and Wilmots scored the winning penalty kick!

He retired from playing football in 2003. Fans at Schalke 04 gave him a special nickname, "Das Kampfschwein," which means "The War Pig." In Belgium, he was known as the Bull of Dongelberg, named after his birthplace.

Playing for Belgium: International Career

Marc Wilmots played 70 games for the Belgian national team. He scored 28 goals, which is a great achievement! His first goal for Belgium was in May 1990.

He played in four World Cups. He was a substitute in 1990 and played in 1994, 1998, and 2002. He scored two goals in the 1998 World Cup and three goals in the 2002 World Cup. This made him Belgium's top goal scorer in World Cup history!

In the 2002 World Cup, he scored a goal against Brazil that was not allowed by the referee. Wilmots later said the referee apologized for the mistake. He was also chosen as one of the top reserve players for the 2002 World Cup All-Star Team. Wilmots also played in Euro 2000, when Belgium was one of the host countries.

Marc Wilmots' Managerial Career

After retiring as a player, Wilmots became a football manager. He managed Sint-Truiden in 2004 but left in 2005. From 2009 to 2012, he was an assistant manager for the Belgian national team.

In May 2012, Marc Wilmots became the head coach of the Belgian national team. He signed a contract until June 2014. He was praised for building confidence in the young team and having a good relationship with his players. He also made sure the team was disciplined.

Under his coaching, Belgium qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup on October 11, 2013. They won all three of their group games in the tournament. However, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals.

On October 13, 2015, Belgium qualified for UEFA Euro 2016 under his leadership. After the European Championship, he was let go by the Royal Belgian Football Association in July 2016.

Wilmots then managed the Ivory Coast national team in 2017. He left after six months because the team did not qualify for the World Cup. In 2019, he signed a contract to manage the Iranian national team. He left this role in December 2019 after six games.

In November 2021, Marc Wilmots became the head coach for the Moroccan team Raja CA. However, he was sacked just three months later, in February 2022.

Most recently, on January 3, 2024, Schalke 04 announced that Wilmots would become their sporting director. He was dismissed from this role on September 21, 2024.

Political Career

After his football career, Marc Wilmots decided to enter politics. In the 2003 federal election, he was elected to the Senate for the Reformist Movement party. The Senate is a part of the Belgian Parliament where laws are discussed and voted on.

He received a lot of votes, showing that many people supported him. In 2005, he announced that he wanted to leave his position as a senator.

Honours and Awards

Marc Wilmots has won many awards and honours throughout his career as both a player and a manager.

Player Achievements

KV Mechelen

• Belgian First Division: 1988–89
• European Super Cup: 1988
• Amsterdam Tournament: 1989
• Jules Pappaert Cup: 1990

Standard Liège

• Belgian Cup: 1992–93
• Intertoto Cup: runner-up 1996

Schalke 04

• UEFA Cup: 1996–97
• DFB-Pokal: 2001–02

Belgium National Team

• FIFA Fair Play Trophy: 2002 World Cup

Individual Awards

• Young Professional Footballer of the Year: 1989–90
• Kicker German Football Rankings - International Class Player: 1997–98, 2001-02
• Best Belgian Footballer Abroad: 2001, 2002
• Belgian Sports Merit Award: 2002
• Golden Shoe Lifetime Achievement Award: 2002
• Participated in 4 FIFA World Cups: 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002

Manager Awards

• Belgian Sports Coach of the Year: 2013, 2014
• Raymond Goethals Award: 2015
• Globe Soccer Awards Best Coach of the Year: 2015

See also

In Spanish: Marc Wilmots para niños