.JPG) Hoefkens in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carl Hoefkens[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1978-10-06)6 October 1978 (age 47) | ||
| Place of birth | Lier, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–2001 | Lierse | 129 | (1) |
| 2001–2003 | Lommel | 54 | (4) |
| 2003 | Westerlo | 7 | (0) |
| 2003–2005 | Germinal Beerschot | 62 | (2) |
| 2005–2007 | Stoke City | 89 | (5) |
| 2007–2009 | West Bromwich Albion | 52 | (0) |
| 2009–2013 | Club Brugge | 127 | (4) |
| 2013–2014 | Lierse | 20 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Oostende | 18 | (1) |
| 2015–2016 | Manchester 62 | 19 | (2) |
| Total | 577 | (19) | |
| International career | |||
| 1992–1993 | Belgium U15 | 2 | (0) |
| 1994–1995 | Belgium U16 | 6 | (1) |
| 1994–1995 | Belgium U17 | 6 | (1) |
| 1995–2000 | Belgium U18 | 20 | (1) |
| 1995–1996 | Belgium U19 | 7 | (0) |
| 1997 | Belgium U20 | 4 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | Belgium U21 | 16 | (2) |
| 1999–2008 | Belgium | 22 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2018 | Knokke (scout) | ||
| 2018–2019 | Club Brugge (youth) | ||
| 2019–2022 | Club Brugge (staff) | ||
| 2022 | Club Brugge | ||
| 2023 | Standard Liège | ||
| 2024– | NAC Breda | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Carl Hoefkens (born 6 October 1978) is a Belgian football manager and former professionalfootballer who played as adefender. He is currently the manager ofEredivisie clubNAC Breda.
Born inLier, Hoefkens started his career atLierse and played there for six years. He made his breakthrough with Lierse in first division and won theBelgian Cup in 1999, beatingStandard Liège in the final with 3–1. Afterwards, he made a move toLommel but Lommel went bankrupt in 2003. In the summer of 2003, he came toGerminal Beerschot, a first division team inAntwerp. There, he became one of the pillars of the team. In his second season at Germinal Beerschot, he won the cup in the final againstClub Brugge, then champions of Belgium. Hoefkens is still appreciated by Beerschot fans; a group of fans from the club have travelled to England on numerous occasions to watch him play.[2]
In the summer of 2005,Stoke City managerJohan Boskamp snapped him up for an undisclosed fee.[3] He made his debut for the club in a 0–0 draw againstSheffield Wednesday on 6 August 2005. Hoefkens became an ever-present in the Stoke line-up and wore the number 2 shirt.
Hoefkens received acclaim for his performances in his first season in English football. He became a fans favourite at Stoke and was crowned 'Fans' Player of the year (2005–06). He then won his 9th cap for his country againstKazakhstan (0–0).
During the January 2007transfer window, he was linked with a return to Belgium, withClub Brugge reportedly interested in him. He was alsopenalty taker for Stoke before the arrival ofDanny Higginbotham; however, he still maintained a 100% record for the club. Hoefkens impressed both manager and fans alike with his technical ability during the2006–07 season. He was also praised for his versatility, as he operated as awinger or acentral midfielder on occasions in the latter stages of the season.
It was feared that Hoefkens had broken a bone in his foot in aEuro 2008 qualifier againstPortugal however a scan revealed that there was no damage.[4]
Stoke accepted a bid for Hoefkens fromWest Bromwich Albion on 4 August 2007.[5] He joined Albion on 7 August 2007 in a £750,000 deal and was offered a two-year contract plus a further one-year as an option.[6] Hoefkens made his Albion debut in a 2–1 defeat away at Burnley on the opening day of the2007–08 season.[7] One week later, Hoefkens was named in the Championship Team of the Week, following his performance in the 2–0 home win overPreston North End.[8] He is known by his West Brom teammates as "Wolverine", due to his resemblance to the comic book hero fromX-Men.[9]
Hoefkens was released in the summer of 2009.[10]
On 25 August 2009,Club Brugge signed the formerWest Bromwich Albion's Belgian right-back on a two-year deal. He became captain in the season 2010–11. After the season ended, he signed for an extra year with the club.[11] After four years and 127 appearances for the club, Hoefkens moved toLierse in 2013, spending a season there before a move toOostende.
In August 2015, after his release from Oostende, Hoefkens signed forGibraltar Premier Division sideManchester 62, who beat off competition from reigning championsLincoln Red Imps for his signature. He signed undisclosed semi-professional terms for the side and aided in the development of David Ochello's young side, making his debut on 26 September in a 1–0 victory overGlacis United. After 19 league games and two goals, as the Red Devils of Gibraltar finished sixth in the league, he retired at the end of the2015–16 season.
Hoefkens played 22 times for theBelgium national team, scoring once. He also represented Belgium in the1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.[12]
Hoefkens' one international goal came on 24 May 2006, in a friendly withTurkey inGenk. His last-minute goal secured a 3–3 draw.[13]
At the end of January 2018, Hoefkens was hired as a scout forKnokke.[14]
On 28 May 2018, it was confirmed that Hoefkens would return toClub Brugge from the upcoming season, where he would function as assistant coach and talent coach for the U21 and U18 teams.[15] In June 2019, Hoefkens was placed in a new role as a part of the first team staff, where he would have the specific task of guiding young talents and provide the link between the academy and the first team.[16][17] In May 2022, Hoefkens took over as head coach of Club Brugge, signing a contract with indefinite duration.[18] In the2022–23 UEFA Champions League, he led Club Brugge to theknockout phase for the first time in the Champions League era.[19] On 28 December 2022, Club Brugge announced the termination of his contract.[20]
Hoefkens was named as manager ofStandard Liège on 16 June 2023, on a three-year deal. He replacedRonny Deila, who went to Brugge.[21] Hoefkens namedYaya Touré as part of his coaching staff.[22] Later that year, on 31 December, he was dismissed by the club due to disappointing results.[23]
Hoefkens was then announced asNAC Breda manager on the 6 June 2024 for the 2024–25 season in theEredivisie, which was NAC's first season in the division since 2018–19.[24]
Hoefkens married model Vanessa D'Hooghe in 2001.[25]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lierse | 1996–97 | Belgian First Division | 17 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | |||
| 1997–98 | Belgian First Division | 27 | 1 | — | 27 | 1 | ||||
| 1998–99 | Belgian First Division | 30 | 0 | — | 30 | 0 | ||||
| 1999–2000 | Belgian First Division | 28 | 0 | — | 28 | 0 | ||||
| 2000–01 | Belgian First Division | 27 | 0 | — | 27 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 129 | 1 | — | 129 | 1 | |||||
| Lommel | 2001–02 | Belgian First Division | 33 | 3 | — | 33 | 3 | |||
| 2002–03 | Belgian First Division | 21 | 1 | — | 21 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 54 | 4 | — | 54 | 4 | |||||
| Westerlo | 2002–03 | Belgian First Division | 7 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Germinal Beerschot | 2003–04 | Belgian First Division | 32 | 4 | — | 32 | 4 | |||
| 2004–05 | Belgian First Division | 30 | 3 | — | 30 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 62 | 7 | — | 62 | 7 | |||||
| Stoke City | 2005–06 | Championship | 44 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 3 |
| 2006–07 | Championship | 45 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 2 | |
| Total | 89 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 96 | 5 | ||
| West Bromwich Albion | 2007–08 | Championship | 42 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 0 |
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Total | 52 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 62 | 0 | ||
| Club Brugge | 2009–10 | Belgian Pro League | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 34 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 | Belgian Pro League | 38 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 40 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | Belgian Pro League | 34 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 35 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Belgian Pro League | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 25 | 2 | ||
| Total | 127 | 4 | 7 | 0 | — | 134 | 4 | |||
| Lierse | 2013–14 | Belgian Pro League | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 22 | 0 | |
| Oostende | 2014–15 | Belgian Pro League | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | |
| Career total | 558 | 22 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 584 | 22 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 1999 | 4 | 0 |
| 2005 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 22 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 May 2006 | Cristal Arena, Genk, Belgium |  Turkey | 3–3 | 3–3 | Friendly |
| Team | Nat. | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Club Brugge |  | 1 July 2022 | 28 December 2022 | 27 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 46 | 29 | +17 | 055.56 |
| Standard Liège | | 1 July 2023 | 31 December 2023 | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 24 | 31 | −7 | 027.27 |
| Career total | 49 | 21 | 14 | 14 | 70 | 60 | +10 | 042.86 | |||
Lierse[28]
Beerschot A.C.[28]
West Bromwich Albion[28]
Individual
Club Brugge
