 Clement as assistant manager ofClub Brugge | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1974-03-22)22 March 1974 (age 51) | ||
| Place of birth | Antwerp, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Norwich City (head coach) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1995 | Beerschot | 48 | (1) |
| 1995–1998 | Genk | 86 | (3) |
| 1998–1999 | Coventry City | 12 | (0) |
| 1999–2009 | Club Brugge | 256 | (38) |
| 2009–2011 | Germinal Beerschot | 54 | (2) |
| Total | 456 | (44) | |
| International career | |||
| 1998–2007 | Belgium | 38 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2012 | Club Brugge (interim) | ||
| 2013 | Club Brugge (interim) | ||
| 2017 | Waasland-Beveren | ||
| 2017–2019 | Genk | ||
| 2019–2022 | Club Brugge | ||
| 2022–2023 | Monaco | ||
| 2023–2025 | Rangers | ||
| 2025– | Norwich City | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Philippe Clement (born 22 March 1974) is a Belgian professionalfootball manager and former player who is the current head coach ofEFL Championship clubNorwich City.[1]
He began his professional career at Belgian clubsBeerschot andGenk between 1992 and 1998, thereafter he joinedCoventry City in England for one season. Clement then returned to his homeland and spent ten seasons atClub Brugge, between 1999 and 2009, making over 300 appearances. At international level, Clement won 38caps for theBelgium national team between 1998 and 2007 and scored one goal.
As a manager, Clement led Genk and Club Brugge toBelgian Pro League titles over three consecutive seasons. Abroad, he managedMonaco inLigue 1 andRangers in theScottish Premiership, winning aScottish League Cup.
Born inAntwerp, Clement played as acentre-back ordefensive midfielder forBeerschot,Genk,Coventry City andClub Brugge. Aged 35, at the end of his contract, he returned to his hometown in June 2009 and joinedGerminal Beerschot.[2]
Clement played 38 times withBelgium national team, and was in the team for the1998 World Cup andEuro 2000, missing the2002 World Cup through a hamstring injury.[3] His debut was as a substitute in a 2–2 friendly draw withNorway on 25 March 1998,[4] and his only goal on 7 June 2003 was in a 2–2 draw with Bulgaria inEuro 2004qualification.[3]
At the end of his playing career in the summer of 2011, Clement became head of Club Brugge's U21s.[5] Aimé Anthuenis, his coach at Genk in 1998–99 and one of his mentors, recalled: "At Genk as well as with the [national team], I noticed that he was predisposed for the job. He was interested, asked questions, gave his opinion, behaved like a leader and had a great sense of teamwork."[6]
For the 2012–13 season, Clement became assistant coach of the first team.[5] In November 2012, he had his first experience as a manager on an interim basis for two games between the dismissal ofGeorges Leekens[7] and the appointment ofJuan Carlos Garrido.[5] His debut as a senior manager on 8 November was a 2–2 home draw withNewcastle United in theUEFA Europa League group stage,[8] and three days later lost 6–1 at leadersAnderlecht in the league.[9]
Clement then became Garrido's assistant.[5] In September 2013, he took over as interim coach following the Spaniard's dismissal and then remained assistant toMichel Preud'homme, until the end of the 2016–17 season.[5] Club Brugge won three titles (theBelgian Cup in 2015 and the Championship and Super Cup in 2016), four runners-up and a third place in the Pro League during Clement's stay.[5]
On 24 May 2017, Clement was hired on a three-year deal for his first job as a permanent head coach, atWaasland-Beveren.[10] In December that year, he moved to Genk, where he had previously played.[11] He guided his team to the2018 Belgian Cup final which they lost 1–0 toStandard Liège; he blamed the referee for allegedly allowing the other team to waste time with trivial injuries.[12] The2017–18 season ended with Europa League qualification after a 2–0 playoff win overZulte Waregem and the team made the last 32 in the continental tournament before losing 4–1 at home toSlavia Prague;[13][14] his side won the league in2018–19.[15]
In May 2019, Clement returned to Club Brugge on a three-year deal.[16] His team lost the2020 Belgian Cup final by a single goal toRoyal Antwerp,[17] and made the last 32 in the Europa League before a 6–1 elimination byManchester United.[18] He won the league title in his first two seasons,[19] and was subsequently given a contract of indefinite length.[20] On 17 July 2021, he won theBelgian Super Cup 3–2 against Genk in theJan Breydel Stadium.[21]
On 3 January 2022, Clement left Club Brugge after three seasons and joinedMonaco of the FrenchLigue 1 as head coach, following the departure ofNiko Kovač. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract until June 2024.[22] His debut six days later was a goalless draw atNantes.[23] He lifted the team from sixth place to third in what remained of his first season, including a run of nine consecutive victories.[24] In the space of two weeks in March, his team were eliminated from theCoupe de France semi-finals on penalties after a 2–2 draw again at Nantes,[25] and from the last 16 of the Europa League byBraga.[26]
Clement's team finished sixth and missed out on Europe at the end of the2022-23 season leading to his dismissal.[24] Monaco were eliminated from the third round of the domestic cup byLigue 2 clubRodez on penalties at theStade Louis II,[27] and byBayer Leverkusen in the Europa League play-off round.[28]
Clement was appointed as manager ofScottish Premiership clubRangers on 15 October 2023, succeedingMichael Beale and interim managerSteven Davis.[29] He signed a deal until the summer of 2027.[3]
On his debut match, Clement's team won 4–0 at home toHibernian.[30] He won theScottish League Cup on 17 December with a single goal byJames Tavernier in thefinal againstAberdeen, also taking his unbeaten run to 14 games in all competitions.[31] His run ended at 16 games on 30 December, with a 2–1 loss atCeltic in theOld Firm.[32] Rangers finished runners-up to Celtic in the league and theScottish Cup in Clement's firstseason, being defeated by their rivals four times in all competitions including the2024 Scottish Cup final.[33]
The day before the2024–25 season began, Clement signed a contract extension by a further year to 2028.[34] Rangers reached theLeague Cup final, losing on penalties after a 3–3 draw with Celtic on 15 December.[35] A month later, the club's board backed Clement to continue in his position, despite an 18-point deficit behind their city rivals.[36]
However, on 23 February 2025, Rangers sacked Clement. The team were 13 points behind Celtic in theScottish Premiership table, having lost at home toSt Mirren for the first time since 1991 and been knocked out theScottish Cup atIbrox in the Fifth Round byScottish Championship clubQueen's Park.[37]
Clement was appointed head coach ofEFL Championship clubNorwich City on 18 November 2025, signing a deal until 2029 as successor toLiam Manning.[38]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Genk | 1995–96 | Belgian First Division | 33 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 1 |
| 1996–97 | Belgian First Division | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| 1997–98 | Belgian First Division | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 2 | |
| Total | 86 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 86 | 3 | ||
| Coventry City | 1998–99 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Club Brugge | 1999–2000 | Belgian First Division | 31 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 4 |
| 2000–01 | Belgian First Division | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 4 | |
| 2001–02 | Belgian First Division | 32 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 7 | |
| 2002–03 | Belgian First Division | 29 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 5 | |
| 2003–04 | Belgian First Division | 31 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 4 | |
| 2004–05 | Belgian First Division | 24 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 6 | |
| 2005–06 | Belgian First Division | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 4 | |
| 2006–07 | Belgian First Division | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 3 | |
| 2007–08 | Belgian First Division | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 | |
| 2008–09 | Belgian First Division | 22 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 5 | |
| Total | 256 | 38 | 15 | 2 | 62 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 333 | 45 | ||
| Germinal Beerschot | 2009–10 | Belgian First Division | 26 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 2 |
| 2010–11 | Belgian First Division | 28 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |
| Total | 54 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 408 | 43 | 25 | 2 | 62 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 497 | 50 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 1998 | 8 | 0 |
| 1999 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 June 2003 | Vasil Levski National Stadium,Sofia, Bulgaria |  Bulgaria | 2–1 | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying |
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Club Brugge (interim) | 4 November 2012 | 15 November 2012 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 000.00 | [40] |
| Club Brugge (interim) | 19 September 2013 | 20 September 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | [40] |
| Waasland-Beveren | 1 July 2017 | 18 December 2017 | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 040.91 | [40] |
| Genk | 18 December 2017 | 30 June 2019 | 82 | 47 | 21 | 14 | 057.32 | [40] |
| Club Brugge | 30 June 2019 | 3 January 2022 | 129 | 70 | 33 | 26 | 054.26 | [40] |
| Monaco | 3 January 2022 | 4 June 2023 | 73 | 37 | 17 | 19 | 050.68 | [40] |
| Rangers | 15 October 2023 | 23 February 2025 | 86 | 55 | 16 | 15 | 063.95 | [40] |
| Norwich City | 18 November 2025 | Present | 19 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 057.89 | [40] |
| Total | 414 | 230 | 96 | 88 | 055.56 | |||
Genk[41]
Club Brugge[42]
Genk
Club Brugge
Rangers
Individual
Belgium squads | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
