 Van Damme playing forStandard Liège in 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jelle François Maria Van Damme | ||
| Date of birth | (1983-10-10)10 October 1983 (age 42) | ||
| Place of birth | Lokeren, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Youth career | |||
| Beveren | |||
| Lokeren | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998 | Lokeren | 1 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | Germinal Beerschot | 7 | (0) |
| 2002–2004 | Ajax | 18 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Southampton | 6 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | →Werder Bremen (loan) | 8 | (1) |
| 2006–2010 | Anderlecht | 100 | (12) |
| 2010–2011 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 6 | (1) |
| 2011–2016 | Standard Liège | 120 | (17) |
| 2016–2017 | LA Galaxy | 46 | (1) |
| 2017–2019 | Royal Antwerp | 44 | (1) |
| 2019–2020 | Lokeren | 23 | (1) |
| Total | 379 | (34) | |
| International career | |||
| 2001–2002 | Belgium U19 | 18 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Belgium U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 2003–2014 | Belgium | 31 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Jelle François Maria Van Damme (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈjɛləvɑnˈdɑmə]; born 10 October 1983) is a Belgian retired professionalfootballer who played as acentre-back,left-back orleft midfielder. He played for clubs in Belgium, England, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States. He also earned over 30 caps for theBelgium national team.
Van Damme started his career atBeveren, before he made a short move to neighbour clubLokeren where he played in the youth teams. He then signed forGerminal Beerschot in 2001, making his senior debut in theJupiler League. Beerschot were linked withAjax and the Amsterdam club soon offered him a trial stay beginning in February 2002.
In summer 2002, Van Damme moved permanently to Ajax where he showed promise in theDutch Cup. In the 2002–03 season, he played in theChampions League and started as a regular player in the squad before breaking his toe in November 2002. The next season, he helped Ajax again qualify for theChampions League group stage but he had few chances to play in the first team's title winning campaign, with the club preferring the BrazilianMaxwell at full back. This limited chance of game time led him to sign forSouthampton of thePremier League in June 2004, for £2.5 million.[1]
He made little impact during his spell with Southampton, playing just six times during the2004–05 season, as the club were relegated to theChampionship. He spent the2005–06 season onloan at GermanBundesliga clubWerder Bremen but again struggled to hold down regular football, making just eight appearances (three starts), as the club finished runners-up. In search of more playing opportunities, Van Damme returned to his homeland to sign forAnderlecht in June 2006 for €500,000.[2]
His four-year spell at Anderlecht was much more successful as he won two Jupiler League championships (twice runners-up) and the2008 Belgian Cup, and appeared in the Champions League group stages several times. Van Damme scored in the 2–1 win at rivalsClub Brugge that won the second of these league titles in 2010.[3]
His time in Brussels was the source of an unsavoury incident however, whenStandard Liège defenderOguchi Onyewu accused him of racial abuse alleging that Van Damme called Onyewu a "dirty monkey" during the2008–09 Championship playoff between the clubs.[4] Onyewu subsequently sued Van Damme,[5] although the case was withdrawn in February 2011 after a meeting between the two players when Van Damme apologised for any offence he may have given.[6]
Van Damme returned to the Premier League in June 2010 by joiningWolverhampton Wanderers. He signed a three-year deal, with the option of a fourth year, for a fee reported to be around £2.5 million.[7] Sell-on clauses relating to his 2006 move to Anderlecht mean that Southampton should receive between 10 and 15 per cent of the fee received from Wolves, estimated at £300,000.[8]
He scored his first, and only, goal for Wolves againstFulham on 11 September 2010. He struggled to settle at the club though, and on 29 November 2010, he signed a pre-contract agreement to return to his Belgian homeland in a three-and-a-half-year deal withStandard Liège, after just six appearances for the Midlands club.[9][10]
Van Damme's return to Belgium was officially ratified when the January 2011 transfer window opened. He made his Standard debut (playing as captain) in a 2–0 loss at former club Anderlecht on 23 January.[11]
On 26 January 2016, it was announced that Van Damme had joinedLA Galaxy.[12] He made his debut on 24 February 2016 in aCONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal leg againstSantos Laguna.
In August 2017, Van Damme returned yet again to Belgium as he was signed by Royal Antwerp for $235,000. Van Damme said the main reason for leaving the LA Galaxy was that he wanted to be closer to his children.[13]
On 3 July 2019, he signed a one-year contract withLokeren.[14]
Van Damme retired from professional football in February 2021.[15]
Van Damme made his debut for theBelgium national team on 29 March 2003 in a 4–0 friendly loss toCroatia. He appeared for the national team during their unsuccessful qualifying campaigns for the2006 and2010 World Cups andUEFA Euro 2008.
Van Damme was married to former tennis playerElke Clijsters, sister ofKim Clijsters, whom he wed in May 2008 inBree, Belgium. The marriage ended in 2016. They have two children.[16]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lokeren | 1998–99[17] | Belgian First Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Germinal Beerschot | 2001–02[17] | Belgian First Division | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Ajax | 2001–02[17] | Eredivisie | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2002–03[17] | 11 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | ||||||
| 2003–04[17] | 6 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | ||
| Southampton | 2004–05[17] | Premier League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| Werder Bremen (loan) | 2005–06[17] | Bundesliga | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 10 | 1 | ||
| Anderlecht | 2006–07[18] | Belgian First Division | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 28 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08[17] | 29 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | — | 40 | 7 | ||||
| 2008–09[17] | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2[a] | 0 | 24 | 3 | ||||
| 2009–10[17][18] | Belgian Pro League | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 10 | 1 | 10[b] | 5 | 45 | 8 | ||
| Total | 100 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 137 | 18 | ||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2010–11[17] | Premier League | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 1 | ||
| Standard Liège | 2010–11[17][18] | Belgian Pro League | 8 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 9[b] | 0 | 21 | 3 | ||
| 2011–12[17][18] | 20 | 5 | 2 | 2 | — | 9 | 0 | 11[c] | 0 | 42 | 7 | |||
| 2012–13[17][18] | 28 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 7[b] | 0 | 37 | 4 | ||||
| 2013–14[17][18] | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 10[b] | 0 | 46 | 3 | |||
| 2014–15[17] | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | 7[b] | 0 | 36 | 2 | |||
| 2015–16[17] | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 1 | — | 23 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 120 | 17 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 44 | 0 | 205 | 22 | ||
| LA Galaxy | 2016[17] | Major League Soccer | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| 2017[17] | 18 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 21 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 46 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 55 | 2 | ||
| Royal Antwerp | 2017–18[17] | Belgian First Division A | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 4[e] | 0 | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19[17] | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9[e] | 0 | 34 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 44 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 58 | 1 | ||
| Lokeren | 2019–20[17] | Belgian First Division B | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 24 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 379 | 34 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 67 | 2 | 72 | 5 | 542 | 46 | ||
Ajax
Werder Bremen
Anderlecht
Standard Liège
I almost ended up fighting him (Van Damme). He called me a monkey several times. The league has these anti-racism campaigns, but when I told the referee what Van Damme was saying, he chose not to do anything about it. I also told the journalists after the game last night about this.
