Franky Van der Elst

Franky Van der Elst

Van der Elst in 2010
Personal information
Date of birth	(1961-04-30) 30 April 1961 (age 56)
Place of birth	Ninove, Belgium
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
	Blau-Wit Lombeek
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1978–1984	Molenbeek	103	(5)
1984–1999	Club Brugge	466	(15)
Total		569	(20)
National team
1984–1998	Belgium	86	(1)
Teams managed
1999–2003	Germinal Beerschot
2003–2004	Lokeren
2005–2007	Club Brugge (assistant)
2008	FC Brussels
2009–2011	Lommel United
2011–2012	Sint-Truiden
2014–2016	Roeselare
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Franky Van der Elst (born 30 April 1961) is a Belgian retired footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, and a current manager.

During a 21-year professional career he played mainly with Club Brugge, being regarded as a legend there and briefly coaching the team in the 2000s. Also, he was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers, in March 2004.

Van der Elst won 86 caps for the Belgium national team, representing the country in four World Cups and retiring at nearly 40 years of age.

Born in Ninove, Van der Elst started his professional career at R.W.D. Molenbeek, earning his first call-up for Belgium in 1982. Two years later, he moved to Club Brugge KV and stayed there until he finished his career in 1999, going on to total over 500 overall appearances with the side (466 in the league alone). During four seasons, he often partnered in midfield his namesake Leo – no relation.

Van der Elst won the Golden Shoe twice in his career, an accomplishment for an eminently defensive-minded player. He also appeared in four FIFA World Cups from 1986 to 1998, only scoring once for his country in nearly 90 matches, in a 2–2 friendly draw against Norway on 25 March 1998.