Theo Lucius
Encyclopedia
Theodorus Martinus Maria Lucius (born 19 December 1976 in Veghel
) is a Dutch
professional footballer
who plays as a defender
or midfielder
and is currently playing at FC Eindhoven
. During his career he has won four Eredivisie
championships, two KNVB Cup
s and two times the Johan Cruijff Shield. He is nicknamed "Boem Boem Theo" (Boom Boom Theo).
and has a sister and a brother. His sister Anne Lucius plays korfball
on national level. When Lucius was five years old he started his football career at amateur side VV Heeswijk. He stayed at VV Heeswijk until he was thirteen and professional side BVV Den Bosch showed interest in him. Before he joined Den Bosch he always played as a striker
, but once there he was positioned as a midfielder. After four seasons of youth football at the club he knocked on the door of the first team squad.
At that time he already worked as a carpenter since he was 15. Three years of hard work made him stronger, both physically and mentally. When he was offered a contract to play professional football at FC Den Bosch in which was stated that he would make the same amount of money as he did as a carpenter he did not hesitate and signed the contact. He joined the first team squad of FC Den Bosch and trained together with the other team members, but manager Chris Dekker
was unable to use Lucius in official matches yet. When Lucius would have played for FC Den Bosch they should have paid a certain amount of money towards VV Heeswijk. In the following season, 1996–97 newly appointed manager Kees Zwamborn
let Lucius make his professional debut on 20 August 1996. The Eerste Divisie
match away against BV Veendam
was lost 1–0. Lucius was a first team regular from the start and only missed one appearance in his two seasons at the club. In both seasont they ended up in the third and fifth position. In both seasons they won a period title, which allowed them to participate in the promotion play-offs, but missed out on promotion in both cases. His performances did not go unnoticed and a total of 20 clubs showed interest in signing him. Out of these 20 teams he decided to make a filter of three clubs to decide which team he would join. Out of FC Utrecht, AZ and PSV he eventually choose to play for PSV.
PSV manager Bobby Robson
was delighted with his new signing and made him a first team regular from the start, playing 25 matches in his first season at the club. When Robson left and Erik Gerets took over Lucius was no longer guaranteed a place in PSV's first team and it was decided to sent him on loan to FC Utrecht. This turned out to be a good choice as he played 32 matches during the season and he developed himself as a better player for the years to come. Gerets had been following his progression at FC Utrecht and included Lucius into his first team squad for the 2000–01 season. This was the start of a very successful period in his career. That same season PSV became the Dutch national champions and Lucius won his first trophy. A few months later the Johan Cruijff-schaal
was his second trophy. In 2003 he won his second Eredivisie championship, while in 2005 a third was added to his conto. That same year they also won the KNVB Cup
and another Johan Cruijff-schaal. In 2006 he became Dutch national champion for the fourth time in his career. Besides that two more KNVB Cup finals were reached as well as two quarter finals in the UEFA Cup
and a semi final in the UEFA Champions League
in which they were eliminated by AC Milan
in the dying seconds of the game. Lucius had always played as a midfielder, but in the last 1.5 years of his PSV career he had been used as a right back instead.
In January 2004 Lucius reached the headlines for selling illegal fireworks to a man from Breda
in December 2003. When using the fireworks in question the man was badly injured and lost his eye. As a result Lucius was sent to jail from 8–11 January 2004. A year later he was found guilty and was charged a community service order of 80 hours. In April 2006 this charge was raised to 240 hours.
On 4 June 2005 Lucius made his debut in the Netherlands national football team
of manager Marco van Basten in a 2–0 home win in the 2006 FIFA World Cup
qualifier against Romania
. Four days later he won his second cap in another qualification match which was won 4–0 away to Finland
. In September 2005 he featured in the 4–0 home win in the qualifier against Andorra
. In this period he started to struggle to get first team football at PSV and he often had to take place on the bench and he eventually missed out on a place in the World Cup squad. He felt it was time to move on and was able to choose out of a number of teams. Feyenoord
already showed interest in signing him the year before and with Erwin Koeman
as a manager, who previously was the assistant manager at PSV his decision was easily made.
Besides PSV and Den Bosch, Feyenoord was the only Dutch based team he wanted to play for. He would never be able or willing to play for AFC Ajax. His hard working playing style made him a fan favourite and captain at Feyenoord from the start. He was one of the few players that showed a decent form in a disappointing season for the team that eventually finished in 7th position in the league. Improvements were made during the 2007–08 summer break and with the return of Giovanni van Bronckhorst
he was no longer the captain of the team.
In 2009 his contract at Feyenoord ended and Lucius had trouble finding a new club. He started training at his old club FC Den Bosch and was supposed to play as an amateur for the team. Administrative reasons prevented him to play for Den Bosch until January 2010. Lucius and Den Bosch made an agreement if Lucius would find a club that should offer him a contract he could leave the club. In January 2010 Lucius signed at FC Groningen until the end of the 2009/10 season after a trial. In July 2010 he finally returned to FC Den Bosch.
Veghel
Veghel is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands.Since 1994 Veghel and the neighbouring village of Erp have formed a single municipality.Veghel is twinned with Goch in Germany.- Population centres :*Boerdonk*Eerde*Erp*Keldonk...
) is a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
professional footballer
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...
who plays as a defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
or midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
and is currently playing at FC Eindhoven
FC Eindhoven
FC Eindhoven is a Dutch football club based in Eindhoven, North Brabant. They current play in the Eerste Divisie , and are one of two professional clubs which are based in the city of Eindhoven, the other one being PSV Eindhoven....
. During his career he has won four Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
championships, two KNVB Cup
KNVB Cup
The KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
s and two times the Johan Cruijff Shield. He is nicknamed "Boem Boem Theo" (Boom Boom Theo).
Biography
Theo Lucius was born and raised in VeghelVeghel
Veghel is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands.Since 1994 Veghel and the neighbouring village of Erp have formed a single municipality.Veghel is twinned with Goch in Germany.- Population centres :*Boerdonk*Eerde*Erp*Keldonk...
and has a sister and a brother. His sister Anne Lucius plays korfball
Korfball
Korfball is a mixed gender team sport, with similarities to netball and basketball. A team consists of eight players; four female and four male. A team also includes a coach. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1902 by Nico Broekhuysen. In the Netherlands there are around 580 clubs, and over a...
on national level. When Lucius was five years old he started his football career at amateur side VV Heeswijk. He stayed at VV Heeswijk until he was thirteen and professional side BVV Den Bosch showed interest in him. Before he joined Den Bosch he always played as a striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
, but once there he was positioned as a midfielder. After four seasons of youth football at the club he knocked on the door of the first team squad.
At that time he already worked as a carpenter since he was 15. Three years of hard work made him stronger, both physically and mentally. When he was offered a contract to play professional football at FC Den Bosch in which was stated that he would make the same amount of money as he did as a carpenter he did not hesitate and signed the contact. He joined the first team squad of FC Den Bosch and trained together with the other team members, but manager Chris Dekker
Chris Dekker
Chris Dekker is a former football defender and midfielder from the Netherlands, who played for AZ Alkmaar, NEC Nijmegen, DWS and FC Amsterdam, before moving to Belgium to play for R. Charleroi S.C....
was unable to use Lucius in official matches yet. When Lucius would have played for FC Den Bosch they should have paid a certain amount of money towards VV Heeswijk. In the following season, 1996–97 newly appointed manager Kees Zwamborn
Kees Zwamborn
Kees Zwamborn is a former football defender from the Netherlands.From 1978 to 1985 Zwamborn played both in the Dutch Eredivisie and Eerste divisie as well as in the German Bundesliga and NAC Breda...
let Lucius make his professional debut on 20 August 1996. The Eerste Divisie
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium...
match away against BV Veendam
BV Veendam
SC Veendam is a Dutch football club based in Veendam, Groningen province, playing in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of football in the Netherlands. The club's official colours are black and yellow.- History :...
was lost 1–0. Lucius was a first team regular from the start and only missed one appearance in his two seasons at the club. In both seasont they ended up in the third and fifth position. In both seasons they won a period title, which allowed them to participate in the promotion play-offs, but missed out on promotion in both cases. His performances did not go unnoticed and a total of 20 clubs showed interest in signing him. Out of these 20 teams he decided to make a filter of three clubs to decide which team he would join. Out of FC Utrecht, AZ and PSV he eventually choose to play for PSV.
PSV manager Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
was delighted with his new signing and made him a first team regular from the start, playing 25 matches in his first season at the club. When Robson left and Erik Gerets took over Lucius was no longer guaranteed a place in PSV's first team and it was decided to sent him on loan to FC Utrecht. This turned out to be a good choice as he played 32 matches during the season and he developed himself as a better player for the years to come. Gerets had been following his progression at FC Utrecht and included Lucius into his first team squad for the 2000–01 season. This was the start of a very successful period in his career. That same season PSV became the Dutch national champions and Lucius won his first trophy. A few months later the Johan Cruijff-schaal
Johan Cruijff-schaal
The Johan Cruijff Schaal is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after legendary Dutch football player Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national football league and the winner of the national...
was his second trophy. In 2003 he won his second Eredivisie championship, while in 2005 a third was added to his conto. That same year they also won the KNVB Cup
KNVB Cup
The KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
and another Johan Cruijff-schaal. In 2006 he became Dutch national champion for the fourth time in his career. Besides that two more KNVB Cup finals were reached as well as two quarter finals in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The 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...
and a semi final in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
in which they were eliminated by AC Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
in the dying seconds of the game. Lucius had always played as a midfielder, but in the last 1.5 years of his PSV career he had been used as a right back instead.
In January 2004 Lucius reached the headlines for selling illegal fireworks to a man from Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
in December 2003. When using the fireworks in question the man was badly injured and lost his eye. As a result Lucius was sent to jail from 8–11 January 2004. A year later he was found guilty and was charged a community service order of 80 hours. In April 2006 this charge was raised to 240 hours.
On 4 June 2005 Lucius made his debut in the Netherlands national football team
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
of manager Marco van Basten in a 2–0 home win in the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
qualifier against Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
. Four days later he won his second cap in another qualification match which was won 4–0 away to Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
. In September 2005 he featured in the 4–0 home win in the qualifier against Andorra
Andorra national football team
The Andorra national football team represents Andorra in association football and is controlled by the Andorran Football Federation, the governing body for football in Andorra. The team has enjoyed very little success due to the Principality's tiny population, the fourth smallest of any UEFA...
. In this period he started to struggle to get first team football at PSV and he often had to take place on the bench and he eventually missed out on a place in the World Cup squad. He felt it was time to move on and was able to choose out of a number of teams. Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam
Feyenoord is a Dutch professional football club located in Rotterdam. Along with Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord is one of the "big three" clubs in the Netherlands. These three clubs and Utrecht and Roda JC are the only clubs never to have been relegated from the Dutch first division...
already showed interest in signing him the year before and with Erwin Koeman
Erwin Koeman
Erwin Koeman is a former football player and Dutch football manager. Currently he is the manager of FC Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivisie. He is the son of Dutch international footballer Martin Koeman, and, alongside his younger brother Ronald, has also represented the Netherlands...
as a manager, who previously was the assistant manager at PSV his decision was easily made.
Besides PSV and Den Bosch, Feyenoord was the only Dutch based team he wanted to play for. He would never be able or willing to play for AFC Ajax. His hard working playing style made him a fan favourite and captain at Feyenoord from the start. He was one of the few players that showed a decent form in a disappointing season for the team that eventually finished in 7th position in the league. Improvements were made during the 2007–08 summer break and with the return of Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Giovanni Christiaan van Bronckhorst OON , known as Gio in Spain, is a retired Dutch footballer of Moluccan descent who served as the captain of the Dutch national team from August 2008 until his retirement....
he was no longer the captain of the team.
In 2009 his contract at Feyenoord ended and Lucius had trouble finding a new club. He started training at his old club FC Den Bosch and was supposed to play as an amateur for the team. Administrative reasons prevented him to play for Den Bosch until January 2010. Lucius and Den Bosch made an agreement if Lucius would find a club that should offer him a contract he could leave the club. In January 2010 Lucius signed at FC Groningen until the end of the 2009/10 season after a trial. In July 2010 he finally returned to FC Den Bosch.
Statistics
| Season | Club | Competition | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996/97 | FC Den Bosch |  Eerste DivisieEerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium... |
34 | 3 | |
| 1997/98 | FC Den Bosch | Eerste Divisie Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium... |
33 | 4 | |
| 1998/99 | PSV | Eredivisie Eredivisie The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA.... |
25 | 1 | |
| 1999/00 | FC Utrecht | Eredivisie Eredivisie The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA.... |
32 | 3 | |
| 2000/01 | PSV | Eredivisie Eredivisie The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA.... |
17 | 1 | |
| 2001/02 | PSV | Eredivisie Eredivisie The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA.... |
23 | 1 | |
| 2002/03 | PSV | Eredivisie Eredivisie The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA.... |
14 | 0 | |
| 2003/04 | PSV | Eredivisie Eredivisie The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA.... |
22 | 4 | |
| 2004/05 | PSV | Eredivisie Eredivisie The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA.... |
22 | 1 | |
| 2005/06 | PSV | Eredivisie Eredivisie The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA.... |
21 | 0 | |
| 2006/07 | Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam Feyenoord is a Dutch professional football club located in Rotterdam. Along with Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord is one of the "big three" clubs in the Netherlands. These three clubs and Utrecht and Roda JC are the only clubs never to have been relegated from the Dutch first division... |
Eredivisie Eredivisie The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA.... |
27 | 5 | |
| 2007/08 | Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam Feyenoord is a Dutch professional football club located in Rotterdam. Along with Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord is one of the "big three" clubs in the Netherlands. These three clubs and Utrecht and Roda JC are the only clubs never to have been relegated from the Dutch first division... |
Eredivisie Eredivisie The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA.... |
29 | 1 | |
| 2008/09 | Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam Feyenoord is a Dutch professional football club located in Rotterdam. Along with Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord is one of the "big three" clubs in the Netherlands. These three clubs and Utrecht and Roda JC are the only clubs never to have been relegated from the Dutch first division... |
Eredivisie Eredivisie The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA.... |
18 | 0 | |
| 2009/10 | FC Groningen | Eredivisie Eredivisie The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA.... |
4 | 0 | |
| 2010/11 | FC Den Bosch | Eerste Divisie Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium... |
24 | 0 | |
| 2011/12 | FC Eindhoven FC Eindhoven FC Eindhoven is a Dutch football club based in Eindhoven, North Brabant. They current play in the Eerste Divisie , and are one of two professional clubs which are based in the city of Eindhoven, the other one being PSV Eindhoven.... |
Eerste Divisie Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium... |
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| Total | 321 | 24 | |||