Lei Clijsters
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leo Albert Jozef Clijsters | ||
| Date of birth | 6 November 1956 | ||
| Place of birth | Opitter, Belgium | ||
| Date of death | 4 January 2009 (aged 52) | ||
| Place of death | Gruitrode, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1968–1973 | Opitter | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1975 | Club Brugge | 1 | (0) |
| 1975–1977 | Patro Eisden | 29 | (1) |
| 1977–1982 | Tongeren | 167 | (22) |
| 1982–1986 | Thor Waterschei | 119 | (6) |
| 1986–1992 | Mechelen | 174 | (13) |
| 1992–1993 | FC Liège | 21 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1983–1991 | Belgium | 40 | (3) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1993–1994 | Patro Eisden | ||
| 1994–1997 | Gent | ||
| 1998 | Lommel SK | ||
| 1999–2000 | Diest | ||
| 2000 | Mechelen | ||
| 2000–2001 | Diest | ||
| 2007–2008 | Tongeren | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Leo Albert Jozef "Lei" Clijsters (6 November 1956 – 4 January 2009) was a Belgian professional footballer, who played as a central defender.
Throughout his extensive senior career, the tough stopper was mainly associated with KV Mechelen, with whom he won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. Also a prominent member of the Belgian national team, he was the father of tennis players Kim and Elke Clijsters.
Lei Clijsters was born on 6 November 1956 in Opitter, started his football career with local Opitter FC. Later, he played for Club Brugge KV, but left the club after a disappointing two-year stint; he started his career as a midfielder.
Subsequently, Clijsters represented K.S.K. Tongeren, K. Patro Maasmechelen, K. Waterschei S.V. Thor Genk, KV Mechelen and R.F.C. de Liège. With Mechelen, he won the Belgian Cup in 1987, going on to conquer the subsequent UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and European Super Cup. He added the Belgian League in 1988–89, always as club captain.
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