Marc Wilmots
Encyclopedia
Marc Robert Wilmots is a former Belgian
football
player.
, Schalke 04, and Bordeaux. At Schalke he helped them to the 1997 UEFA Cup Final
. His goal in the first leg was cancelled out by Inter in the second leg, but Schalke went on to win the game on penalties, with Wilmots scoring the decisive kick. He retired in 2003 after his second stint with Schalke.
for Dick Advocaat
and later for Georges Leekens.
and became a member of the Belgian senate
, for the French-speaking liberal party, the Reformist Movement
(Mouvement Réformateur or MR). His political career is not considered very successful. In 2005 he announced that he wanted to resign as a senator, a rather unconventional, and criticized constitutional move.
Standard Liege
FC Schalke 04
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player.
Career
In his club career, that started in 1987, Wilmots played for Sint-Truiden, KV Mechelen, Standard LiègeStandard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
, Schalke 04, and Bordeaux. At Schalke he helped them to the 1997 UEFA Cup Final
1997 UEFA Cup Final
The 1997 UEFA Cup Final was contested between Schalke 04 of Germany and Internazionale of Italy. The tie was a tight affair, with each leg being won 1–0 by the home-team. After 210 minutes of football, the tie was eventually settled on penalties, with Schalke winning 4–1 at the Stadio...
. His goal in the first leg was cancelled out by Inter in the second leg, but Schalke went on to win the game on penalties, with Wilmots scoring the decisive kick. He retired in 2003 after his second stint with Schalke.
International career
For Belgium, Wilmots scored 28 goals in 70 caps, his first coming in May 1990. He played in four World Cups, going scoreless in 1994, but getting two goals in 1998 and adding three in 2002. Wilmots is Belgium's leading goal scorer in World Cup history. Wilmots also played in Euro 2000, when Belgium co-hosted the tournament.Coaching career
He also became a football manager in summer 2004 for Sint-Truidense but was fired in February 2005. On 28 September 2009 he announced his return to the Belgium national football team. From 1 October 2009 on he worked as assistant coachCoach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
for Dick Advocaat
Dick Advocaat
Dirk Nicolaas "Dick" Advocaat is a Dutch football manager and former player currently the manager of the Russia national football team.He has been moderately successful as a football player and as a coach, which included two stints with the Dutch national football team...
and later for Georges Leekens.
Personal
After retiring as a football player, Wilmots went into politicsPolitics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and became a member of the Belgian senate
Belgian Senate
The Belgian Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be the "upper house" of the Federal Parliament.-History and future:...
, for the French-speaking liberal party, the Reformist Movement
Reformist Movement
The Reformist Movement is a French-speaking liberal political party in Belgium. The party was in coalition as part of the Leterme II Government, and was also part of the governing coalition in the Walloon Region and Brussels-Capital Region until the 2004 regional elections...
(Mouvement Réformateur or MR). His political career is not considered very successful. In 2005 he announced that he wanted to resign as a senator, a rather unconventional, and criticized constitutional move.
Honours
KV Mechelen- Belgian First Division: 1988–89Belgian First Division 1988-89-Overview:It was performed in 18 teams, and KV Mechelen won the championship. And demotion of R.W.D. Molenbeek, K.R.C. Genk was decided.-League standings:-Topscorers:...
- European Super CupEuropean Super CupThe UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
: 1988
Standard Liege
- Belgian CupBelgian CupThe Belgian Cup is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Belgian Football Association. The first cup was held in 1911-12. The most successful cup club is Club Brugge KV with 10 titles followed by RSC Anderlecht and R Standard de Liège...
(1): 1993
FC Schalke 04
- UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
: 19971997 UEFA Cup FinalThe 1997 UEFA Cup Final was contested between Schalke 04 of Germany and Internazionale of Italy. The tie was a tight affair, with each leg being won 1–0 by the home-team. After 210 minutes of football, the tie was eventually settled on penalties, with Schalke winning 4–1 at the Stadio...
- DFB-PokalDFB-PokalThe DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
: 2002
Trivia
- Wilmots is considered by many as one of the best players in his country's history.
- In Belgium, he received the nickname of the Taureau de Dongelberg (The Bull from Dongelberg).
- Wilmots was then nicknamed das Kampfschwein (The Fighting Pig) or Willi das Kampfschwein during his playing days in Schalke, in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.