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 Team information Current team Standard Liège (sporting director) 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 22 February 1969) is a famous Belgian football player and manager. He played as an attacking midfielder, which is a player who helps both attack and defend. He is currently the sporting director for Standard Liège.

During his time as a player, he won important trophies with teams like KV Mechelen, Standard Liège, and Schalke 04. He also played for the Belgian national team 70 times, scoring many goals. He was part of the Belgian team in four World Cups and the Euro 2000 tournament.

After his football career, Wilmots also became a politician. He was a Senator in Belgium for four years.

Playing Career: Marc Wilmots' Club Journey

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

Winning the UEFA Cup with Schalke 04

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 final in a penalty shootout, and Wilmots scored the winning penalty kick!

Nicknames: The War Pig and The Bull

Fans at Schalke 04 gave him the nickname "Das Kampfschwein" (The War Pig). This nickname showed how hard he fought on the field. In Belgium, he was known as the Bull of Dongelberg, named after his birthplace. He stopped playing professional football in 2003.

International Career: Playing for Belgium

Marc Wilmots played 70 games for the Belgian national team and scored 28 goals. His first international game was in May 1990.

World Cup Appearances and Goals

He went to four World Cups: 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002. He played in three of them. 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 later disallowed. The referee later apologized for the mistake. Wilmots was even named as one of the reserve players in the 2002 World Cup All-Star Team. He also played in the Euro 2000 tournament, which Belgium co-hosted.

Managerial Career: Coaching Teams

After retiring as a player, Marc Wilmots became a football manager.

Coaching Belgium's National Team

From 2009 to 2012, he was an assistant manager for the Belgian national team. In May 2012, he became the head coach. He helped Belgium qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in October 2013. People said he gave the young Belgian team confidence and kept them disciplined. Belgium won all their group games in the 2014 World Cup before being knocked out in the quarter-finals.

He also led Belgium to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2016. However, after the tournament, he was let go by the Royal Belgian Football Association in July 2016.

Other Coaching Roles

Wilmots also coached the Ivory Coast national team in 2017, but he left after they did not qualify for the World Cup. In 2019, he became the manager for the Iranian national team. He left that role in December 2019.

Later, in November 2021, he became the head coach for the Moroccan team Raja CA. He was with them for about three months before leaving in February 2022.

Return to Schalke 04

On January 3, 2024, Schalke 04 announced that Marc Wilmots became their sporting director. This role involves overseeing the club's football operations. However, he was dismissed from this position on September 21, 2024.

Political Career: A Senator in Belgium

After his football career, Marc Wilmots decided to enter politics. He was elected as a Senator in Belgium in the 2003 federal election. He represented the Reformist Movement party. He received a lot of votes, showing his popularity. In 2005, he announced that he wanted to step down from his role as a senator.

Honours and Awards

Marc Wilmots received many awards and honours during his career as both a player and a manager.

As a Player

• KV Mechelen

* Belgian First Division: 1988–89 * European Super Cup: 1988

• Standard Liège

* Belgian Cup: 1992–93

• 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
• Best Belgian Footballer Abroad: 2001, 2002
• Belgian Sports Merit Award: 2002
• Golden Shoe Lifetime Achievement Award: 2002
• 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