Maxime Gunst

Maxime Gunst
Personal information
Date of birth (1992-08-06) 6 August 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth Waregem, Belgium
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Left-back
Youth career
KWS Desselgem
0000–2007 Zulte Waregem
2007–2012 Club Brugge
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Club Brugge 0 (0)
2012–2013Eendracht Aalst (loan) 20 (1)
2013–2018 Eindhoven 97 (3)
2018–2019 MVV 28 (0)
2020 Roda JC 7 (0)
2020 Roeselare 0 (0)
Total 152 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Maxime Gunst (born 6 August 1992) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a left-back.

Club career

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Club Brugge

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Gunst grew up in Desselgem, West Flanders. He joined local team KWS Desselgem at a young age and later made the move to Zulte Waregem.[2] There, he was scouted by Club Brugge in 2007.[2] In the youth teams, Gunst played as an attacking midfielder, but in the 2011–12 season he competed for the position of left-back with contemporaries such as Jannes Vansteenkiste and Jimmy De Jonghe. In 2012, he was promoted to the senior squad, and ahead of the 2012–13 season he was told by coach Georges Leekens that a loan would be the best option due to depth at the position with Jordi Figueras, Fredrik Stenman and Bart Buysse in front of him.[3]

Eendracht Aalst (loan)

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Gunst was sent on a one-season loan to Belgian Second Division club Eendracht Aalst in the summer of 2012.[3] He made his debut for the East Flemish on 2 September in a 2–1 win over Sint-Truiden.[3]

Eindhoven

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After a season with Aalst, Gunst signed with Dutch Eerste Divisie club FC Eindhoven in the summer of 2013.[4] He made his debut on 2 August in the season opener against VVV-Venlo. Halfway through the season, he suffered a serious injury, sidelining him for an extended period.

The 2014–15 season was a success both collectively and individually. He scored his first goal for Eindhoven against Telstar on 24 October 2014,[5] and at the end of the season, the club had set a points record and finished second in the league table after champions NEC.[6] In the play-offs, Eindhoven lost to FC Volendam.[7] Gunst recorded 12 assists that season and scored three goals.[1]

After rumours of Gunst leaving Eindhoven for AZ,[8] he eventually signed a new contract with Eindhoven until 2018.[9] That season, Gunst suffered a serious knee injury, which would eventually leave him sidelined for 8 months.[10]

Later career

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In August 2018, Gunst signed a two-year contract with league rivals MVV.[11] He made 29 appearances for the club in his first season, before his contract was terminated by mutual consent in November 2019.[12][13] This occurred after media reported that he and Pieter Nys had started an uprising against head coach Fuat Usta.[14][15]

On 9 January 2020, Gunst signed a one-and-a-half-year contract plus a one-year option with Roda JC.[16] His first game was against his previous club MVV, which ended in a 2–2 draw.[17]

In 2020, Gunst returned to Belgium where he signed with Roeselare,[18] but that club went bankrupt in September 2020 and he became a free agent.[2]

Post-playing career

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Gunst retired from football after being released by Roeselare in 2020, and pursued a career as a personal trainer. In 2021, he became personal trainer for FitStudio in his hometown Waregem.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Belgium – M. Gunst – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Verdruye, Koen (25 November 2020). "Maxime Gunst zit zonder club sinds faillissement van KSV Roeselare: Voetballen is het mooiste wat er is, alles eromheen is vaak fake". nieuwsblad.be (in Flemish).
  3. ^ a b c "Maxime Gunst: Eendracht lanceerde mijn carrière". Eendracht Aalst (in Flemish). 10 October 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  4. ^ "FC Eindhoven vist weer in vijver Club Brugge". Elfvoetbal.nl (in Dutch). 4 July 2013.
  5. ^ "Telstar vs. Eindhoven – 24 October 2014 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Fraaie eigen goal helpt Eindhoven aan vierde periode". FCUpdate.nl (in Dutch). 24 April 2015.
  7. ^ "Effectief Volendam naar finale play-offs". Het Parool (in Dutch). 25 May 2015.
  8. ^ Slegers, Thijs (18 April 2015). "Leegloop dreigt door uitstekende prestaties FC Eindhoven". Voetbal International (in Dutch).
  9. ^ Slegers, Thijs (17 January 2015). "FC Eindhoven licht opties in contracten Gunst en N'Toko". Voetbal International (in Dutch).
  10. ^ "Eindhoven maanden zonder reserve-aanvoerder Gunst". FCUpdate.nl (in Dutch). 16 November 2015.
  11. ^ Lambrecht, Yannick (14 August 2018). "OFFICIEEL: Belgische verdediger met verleden bij Club Brugge heeft nieuwe club". Vrouwenvoetbalkrant.be (in Dutch).
  12. ^ "MVV Maastricht neemt afscheid van Maxime Gunst". mvv.nl (in Dutch). 25 November 2019.
  13. ^ "MVV Maastricht en Maxime Gunst ontbinden contract in onderling overleg". Maastricht (in Dutch). 25 November 2019.
  14. ^ "MVV beschuldigt eigen spelers van voorbereiden opstand tegen technische staf". Voetbalprimeur.nl (in Dutch). 31 October 2019.
  15. ^ Wiche, Roel (31 October 2019). "MVV beschuldigt spelers van beramen opstand tegen trainer Usta". Limburger.nl (in Dutch).
  16. ^ "Roda JC contracteert Maxime Gunst". Roda JC (in Dutch). 9 January 2020.
  17. ^ "Roda JC vs. MVV – 12 January 2020 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Nieuwkomer bij KSV Roeselare Maxime Gunst keert na zeven seizoenen Nederland terug naar België". KW.be (in Dutch). 20 August 2020.
  19. ^ "Meet Maxime | By FitStudio Waregem [Facebook post]". FitStudio Waregem (in Flemish). 4 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
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