.jpg) Vercauteren with Krylia Sovetov | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Frank Vercauteren[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1956-10-28)28 October 1956 (age 69) | ||
| Place of birth | Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Left winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1963–1975 | Anderlecht | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1975–1987 | Anderlecht | 367 | (93) |
| 1987–1990 | Nantes | 78 | (19) |
| 1987–1990 | Nantes B | 13 | (4) |
| 1990–1993 | RWDM | 50 | (4) |
| Total | 508 | (120) | |
| International career | |||
| 1977–1988 | Belgium | 63 | (9) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1993–1994 | C.S. Braine (youth) | ||
| 1994–1997 | KV Mechelen (youth) | ||
| 1997–1998 | KV Mechelen | ||
| 1998 | Anderlecht (assistant) | ||
| 1998–1999 | Anderlecht (caretaker) | ||
| 1999–2005 | Anderlecht (assistant) | ||
| 2005–2007 | Anderlecht | ||
| 2009 | Belgium | ||
| 2009–2011 | Genk | ||
| 2011–2012 | Al Jazira | ||
| 2012–2013 | Sporting CP | ||
| 2014 | KV Mechelen | ||
| 2014–2016 | Krylia Sovetov | ||
| 2017–2018 | Cercle Brugge | ||
| 2018 | Al-Batin | ||
| 2019 | OH Leuven (sports advisor) | ||
| 2019–2020 | Anderlecht | ||
| 2021 | Antwerp | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
François Vercauteren (born 28 October 1956), nicknamed "The Little Prince", is a Belgian formerfootballer who played as a leftwinger. He is currently the sports director of theRoyal Belgian Football Association.
Vercauteren made his first team debut forAnderlecht in 1975 againstRacing Mechelen, replacingGilbert Van Binst. A double surgery in October 1975 and January 1976, however, later slowed down his development. Vercauteren won the five European titles with Anderlecht (twoEuropean Cup Winners' Cups, oneUEFA Cup and twoEuropean Supercups). He also won twoBelgian Cups, fourBelgian Championship titles and won theBelgian Supercup twice. In 1987, he joinedNantes inFrance and came back to Belgium three years later to play withMolenbeek until 1993. While at Nantes, Vercauteren finished twice thechampionship with the most assists.
Vercauteren played 63 times with theBelgium national team. He was part of the squad that finished fourth at the1986 FIFA World Cup, and also featured in the1982 World Cup and atUEFA Euro 1984. Though he made his national team debut on 16 November 1977 (a 3–0 defeat toNorthern Ireland national football team), he was not selected for theEuro 1980, where Belgium finished runner-up toWest Germany.[2]
At the end of his playing career, Vercauteren became the trainer of the youth team fromC.S. Braine, a small club inWalloon Brabant. A year after, he moved toKV Mechelen, where he first trained the youth team, then the first team, beginning in1997–98. At the end of this season, he signed as an assistant manager at his first club as a player, Anderlecht. He was briefly named manager along with his fellowJean Dockx in the1998–99 season after a disappointing start by managerArie Haan (Anderlecht fell to the 18th and last place in the beginning of the season). The two men secured among others a nice 0–6 win at Sclessin against old rivalStandard Liège and a 2–5 win atGenk, to come back in the European places.
Anderlecht then hiredAimé Anthuenis as a manager, and Vercauteren became assistant once again. After coachHugo Broos (the successor of Anthuenis) was dismissed in February 2005, Vercauteren signed as the new manager and won twice theBelgian Championship. On 12 November 2007, after a string of poor and indifferent results, Vercauteren and Anderlecht parted company, with assistant coach Ariel Jacobs taking over until the end of the season.
From 9 April 2009 to 10 September 2009, Vercauteren served as caretaker manager for the Belgium national team, resigning after Belgium's defeat toArmenia on 9 September 2009; he was replaced by the DutchmanDick Advocaat. On 3 December 2009, Vercauteren signed a contract as head coach for Genk. On 17 May 2011, he celebrated winning the2010–11 Belgian Pro League championship with Genk after a 1–1 home draw against Standard Liège.[3] He also won the2011 Belgian Super Cup over Standard, and led his club into thequalifying play-off for the2011–12 UEFA Champions League.
On 8 August 2011, Vercauteren signed a contract as head coach of Emirati sideAl Jazira Club. On 11 March 2012, Al Jazira announced that they had parted company with Vercauteren. They stated the reason behind the controversial exit of Vercauteren was because he was not getting on with the players. On the same day, he was replaced byCaio Júnior.
Vercauteren joinedSporting CP in November 2012, but was sacked after two months, with the club winning just two games during his tenure.[4]
Vercauteren then took over Russian clubKrylia Sovetov Samara in the summer of 2014 following the club's relegation from theRussian Premier League.[5] Krylia had spent every one of its 22 previous seasons on the top level. Under Vercauteren's management, Krylia Sovetov won the2014–15 Russian Football National League and were promoted back to the Premier League.
In 2018, Vercauteren won promotion to theBelgian First Division A with his clubCercle Brugge. He then signed a contract with Saudi clubAl-Batin.[6]
On 3 October 2019, Vercauteren rejoined Anderlecht.[7] On 17 August 2020, Vercauteren left the club after Anderlecht playerVincent Kompany decided to end his playing career and become a trainer.[8]
TheRBFA announced the appointment of Vercauteren as sports director on 8 February 2023.[9]
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Anderlecht | 3 October 2019 | 17 August 2020 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 038.5 |
Anderlecht[10]
Belgium
Anderlecht[10]
Genk[18]
Krylia Sovetov[citation needed]
Cercle Brugge[citation needed]
Belgium squads | |||||||||||||||||||||
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