Geert De Vlieger

Geert De Vlieger
Personal information
Date of birth (1971-10-16) 16 October 1971 (age 53)
Place of birth Aalst, Belgium
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1989–1995 Beveren 136 (0)
1995–1999 Anderlecht 61 (0)
1998–1999Harelbeke (loan) 33 (0)
2000–2004 Willem II 136 (0)
2004–2006 Manchester City 0 (0)
2006–2008 Zulte Waregem 38 (0)
2008–2012 Club Brugge 14 (0)
Total 418 (0)
International career
1999–2006 Belgium 43 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 September 2024

Geert De Vlieger (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣeːr ˈvliɣər];[a] born 16 October 1971) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Career

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De Vlieger was born in Dendermonde. He started his career in his home country playing for Anderlecht and Beveren before moving to the Netherlands and playing for Willem II for four years between 2000 and 2004. He played his first international for Belgium in 1999 and won 43 caps for his country.[1] He was the second choice goalkeeper for the UEFA Euro 2000 behind starter Filip De Wilde,[2] but then became the number 1 starter for the 2002 FIFA World Cup replacing the latter after De Wilde's poor performances during the Euro 2000.[3]

De Vlieger signed with Manchester City in June 2004,[4][5] but due to an achilles tendon injury he sustained, he missed the entirety of the 2004–05 season and did not play a single game during his two seasons in England.[6] In June 2006, he signed for Zulte Waregem to make a comeback in the Belgian First Division A.[7] On 30 May 2008, De Vlieger signed a one-year contract with Club Brugge as the backup behind Stijn Stijnen, as former backup Glenn Verbauwhede had been loaned out to Kortrijk.[8] He announced his retirement from football in February 2011 at age 39.[9]

Honours

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Beveren[10]

Anderlecht[11]

Belgium

Individual

Notes

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  1. ^ Geert in isolation: [ˈɣeːrt].

References

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  1. ^ Mamrud, Roberto (29 October 2009). "Belgium - Record International Players". RSSSF.
  2. ^ "BBC SPORT | EURO2000 | SQUAD | Filip De Wilde". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  3. ^ "RETRO Japan 2002: wat is er geworden van de toenmalige Rode Duivels?". voetbalnieuws.be (in Dutch). 19 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Geert De Vlieger tekent bij Manchester City". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Flemish). 21 June 2004.
  5. ^ "Mills signs for City". the Guardian. 13 July 2004. The 27-year-old becomes manager Kevin Keegan's third signing of the summer, following Ben Thatcher and Belgian keeper Geert de Vlieger.
  6. ^ Leeuwen, Gerrit van. "De Vlieger admits defeat". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Zulte-Waregem snare De Vlieger | Inside UEFA". UEFA.com. 14 June 2006.
  8. ^ "Geert De Vlieger tekent bij Club Brugge". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). 30 May 2008.
  9. ^ "Tilburgse publiekslieveling De Vlieger stopt ermee". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 15 February 2011.
  10. ^ "SK Beveren | Geschiedenis".
  11. ^ "RSC Anderlecht | Palmares".
  12. ^ "Anderlecht en de beker: geen successtory". 11 November 2005.
  13. ^ FIFA.com. "Belgium honoured with the FIFA Fair Play Award". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Sonck beste speler België". www.vi.nl. 24 January 2002. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  15. ^ "Geert De Vlieger ereburger van Lebbeke". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). 30 January 2017.
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