 Nilis in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luc Gilbert Cyrille Nilis[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1967-05-25)25 May 1967 (age 58) | ||
| Place of birth | Hasselt, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Patro Eisden (striker coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1973–1980 | Halveweg Zonhoven | ||
| 1980–1984 | Winterslag | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1984–1986 | Winterslag | 47 | (16) |
| 1986–1994 | Anderlecht | 223 | (124) |
| 1994–2000 | PSV | 164 | (110) |
| 2000–2001 | Aston Villa | 3 | (1) |
| Total | 437 | (251) | |
| International career | |||
| 1982–1983 | Belgium U16 | 6 | (3) |
| 1982–1983 | Belgium U17 | 3 | (2) |
| 1983–1984 | Belgium U18 | 8 | (1) |
| 1983–1985 | Belgium U19 | 11 | (6) |
| 1986–1987 | Belgium U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 1988–2000 | Belgium | 56 | (10) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2007–2010 | PSV (assistant) | ||
| 2011 | Kasımpaşa (assistant) | ||
| 2011–2013 | Gençlerbirliği (assistant) | ||
| 2018–2020 | VVV-Venlo (assistant) | ||
| 2021 | Jordan (assistant) | ||
| 2021–2022 | Belisia Bilzen | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Luc Gilbert Cyrille Nilis (born 25 May 1967) is a Belgian professionalfootball manager and formerplayer who is the striker coach ofPatro Eisden.
He spent most of his career in his native Belgium and, in particular, in the Netherlands withPSV. His playing days came to an end in the2000–01 season after breaking his leg in a match with his clubAston Villa following a clash withIpswich TowngoalkeeperRichard Wright.
His former clubs includeWinterslag,Anderlecht,PSV andAston Villa.
As youth player, Nilis was regarded as Winterslag's greatest talent. Standard, Club Brugge and PSV Eindhoven showed interest in the stylish attacker, but under the influence ofRaymond Goethals, Nilis was transferred to Anderlecht at the age of 18.[2]
Forming a duo with players such asLuís Oliveira orMarc Degryse, he would win several national prizes in the next seasons.[3] Although he was not considered as a very quick football player, his scoring ability and excellent striking technique stood out. Long, placed distance shots with both left and right feet became his hallmark.[4]
Having left Anderlecht for Eindhoven in 1994, Nilis topped the Dutch scoring charts in the1995–96 season, plundering 21 goals.[5] He continued that form into1996–97 – leading the pack by December 1996 with 13[6] – before matching his previous total,[5] in a season that ended with PSV winning the league title for the first time in five years.[7] In late 1997, Nilis scored thrice in three games over a fifteen-day period, all againstShay Given; with a goal atNewcastle United in the1997–98 UEFA Champions League group stage coming in between goals for Belgium against theRepublic of Ireland.[8] During his time with PSV, Nilis formed one of the deadliest partnerships in Europe with team-mateRuud van Nistelrooy, who signed for PSV in 1998.[7] In the1998–99 season, Nilis and van Nistelrooy scored 55 league goals between them. Van Nistelrooy finished as top-scorer,[5] Nilis came second. In thefollowing season, Nilis' last for PSV, they scored 48 league goals between them.
After six years in the Netherlands, Nilis joined Aston Villa on aBosman transfer in June 2000.[9] Nilis' Villa career started well, as he scored on his debut in theUEFA Intertoto Cup againstDukla Příbram on 22 July 2000[10] before going on to score on his league debut againstChelsea on 27 August 2000.[11] In a league match againstIpswich Town on 9 September 2000, Nilis was involved in a clash with goalkeeperRichard Wright[12] that left him with a double compound fracture of his right shin.[13] At one point, the injury became infected and Nilis even feared a possible amputation.[14] This hypothesis was later ruled out, although his playing career was effectively ended.
Nilis played 56 times for theBelgium national team, scoring ten times. A prolific goalscorer with his clubs, he scored his first goal for Belgium only on his 24th cap (a 9–0 win againstZambia).[15]
Nilis played in theFIFA World Cups in1994 and1998. Qualification for the latter was sealed with Nilis' goals in each leg of Belgium'splayoff against the Republic of Ireland.[8] Nilis dropped out of international football after the 1998 Finals, reportedly in response to an "unhealthy atmosphere within the squad and their lack of achievement".[15] However, with control of the Belgian national side having changed,[9] Nilis returned to the international fold in November 1999,[15] in time forEuro 2000, co-hosted by his birth-country Belgium and theNetherlands.
After his playing career ended,Beringen-Heusden-Zolder were his next port of call, becoming technical director in 2005, not long before the club's liquidation after financial difficulties.[7] Nilis took a job with PSV, first as a scout, and then training the club's forwards. In January 2011, Nilis became assistant manager with Turkish clubKasımpaşa, followed by another assistant manager stint withGençlerbirliği S.K., also in Turkey. In April 2015, he was re-hired by PSV as a striker coach.[16]
In August 2021, Nilis became the head coach ofBelgian Division 2 clubBelisia Bilzen, which had been founded earlier that year from a merger betweenSpouwen-Mopertingen andBilzerse Waltwilder.[17] It was his first assignment as head coach. In the round of 16 of theBelgian Cup, Belisia were drawn againstGent. At the end of October 2021, they lost that cup match 4–0.[18] In addition to his position as manager ofBelisia Bilzen, Nilis was also hired as striker coach at the Talent Academy ofKRC Genk on 10 March 2022.[19]
In 2023, he was appointed striker coach ofPatro Eisden.[20]
Nilis's father, Roger (1938–2011), played as a professional footballer in Belgium in the 1960s.[21] His son Arne was a youth player for Genk and PSV Eindhoven but was unable to pursue a professional career, mainly due to injuries and a gambling addiction.[22]
Ronaldo names Nilis as the best strike partner he played with, despite sharing only a brief time with him at PSV.[23]Ruud van Nistelrooy has also stated on several occasions that the Belgian was one of the best players, if not the best, he had ever played with.[7]
Despite the lack of a major international career, the technically skilled attacker is still praised by football fans and journalists in the low countries.[24] In 2020, he was named in the "Best squad of all time", of both Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven.[25]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Winterslag | 1984–85[26] | Belgian Second Division | 22 | 5 | — | — | — | 22 | 5 | |||||
| 1985–86[26] | Belgian Second Division | 25 | 11 | — | — | — | 25 | 11 | ||||||
| Total | 47 | 16 | — | — | — | 47 | 16 | |||||||
| Anderlecht | 1986–87[27][26] | Belgian First Division | 16 | 5 | — | 3[c] | 1 | — | 19 | 6 | ||||
| 1987–88[27][26] | Belgian First Division | 32 | 14 | — | 6[c] | 1 | — | 38 | 15 | |||||
| 1988–89[27] | Belgian First Division | 33 | 19 | — | 4[d] | 0 | — | 37 | 19 | |||||
| 1989–90[27] | Belgian First Division | 27 | 9 | — | 9[d] | 4 | — | 36 | 13 | |||||
| 1990–91[27] | Belgian First Division | 30 | 19 | — | 6[e] | 3 | — | 36 | 22 | |||||
| 1991–92[27] | Belgian First Division | 27 | 15 | — | 9[c] | 6 | 36 | 21 | ||||||
| 1992–93[27] | Belgian First Division | 28 | 19 | — | 6[e] | 4 | — | 34 | 23 | |||||
| 1993–94[27] | Belgian First Division | 30 | 24 | — | 9[f] | 7 | 39 | 31 | ||||||
| Total | 223 | 124 | — | 52 | 26 | 275 | 150 | |||||||
| PSV Eindhoven | 1994–95[27] | Eredivisie | 30 | 12 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[e] | 1 | — | 33 | 13 | ||
| 1995–96[27] | Eredivisie | 31 | 21 | 5 | 5 | — | 8[e] | 5 | — | 44 | 31 | |||
| 1996–97[27] | Eredivisie | 26 | 21 | 2 | 3 | — | 4[g] | 2 | 1[h] | 0 | 33 | 26 | ||
| 1997–98[27] | Eredivisie | 24 | 13 | 3 | 3 | — | 5[f] | 1 | — | 32 | 17 | |||
| 1998–99[27] | Eredivisie | 27 | 24 | 4 | 1 | — | 5[f] | 0 | — | 36 | 25 | |||
| 1999–2000[27] | Eredivisie | 26 | 19 | 1 | 0 | — | 7[f] | 2 | — | 34 | 21 | |||
| Total | 164 | 110 | 16 | 12 | — | 31 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 212 | 133 | |||
| Aston Villa | 2000–01[27] | Premier League | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[i] | 1 | — | 5 | 2 | |
| Career total | 437 | 251 | 16 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 38 | 1 | 0 | 539 | 301 | ||
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 June 1994 | Heysel Stadium,Brussels, Belgium |  Zambia | 5–0 | 9–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 8 August 1994 | Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium |  Hungary | 3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 7 October 1995 | Hrazdan Stadium,Yerevan,Armenia |  Armenia | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 4 | 2–0 | |||||
| 5 | 9 October 1996 | Stadio Olimpico,Serravalle,San Marino |  San Marino | 2–0 | 3–0 | FIFA World Cup 1998 qualifying |
| 6 | 3–0 | |||||
| 7 | 29 October 1997 | Lansdowne Road,Dublin,Republic of Ireland |  Ireland | 1–1 | 1–1 | FIFA World Cup 1998 qualifying |
| 8 | 15 November 1997 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | Ireland | 2–1 | 2–1 | FIFA World Cup 1998 qualifying |
| 9 | 22 April 1998 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium |  Romania | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 10 | 25 June 1998 | Parc des Princes,Paris, France |  South Korea | 1–0 | 1–1 | FIFA World Cup 1998 |
Anderlecht[29]
PSV[29]
Individual
Belgium squads | |||||||||||||
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Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
