Carl Hoefkens
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carl Hoefkens | ||
| Date of birth | 6 October 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Lier, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Club Brugge | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| 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– | Club Brugge | 69 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1999– | Belgium | 22 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17 May 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Carl Hoefkens (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkɑrl ˈɦuf.kəns]) (born 6 October 1978) is a Belgian footballer who is playing in Club Brugge.
Contents |
[edit] Club career
[edit] Early career
Born in Lier, Belgium, Hoefkens started his career at K. Lierse S.K. and played there for six years. He made his breakthrough with Lierse in first class and won the Belgian Cup in 1999, beating Standard Liège in the final with 3-1. Afterwards, he made a move to Lommel but his move turned into a nightmare, when Lommel went broke in 2003. In the summer of 2003, he came to Germinal Beerschot, the first class team of the Belgian city of Antwerp. There, he became one of the pillars of the team. In his second season at Germinal Beerschot, he won the cup in the final against FC Bruges, 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.[1]
[edit] Stoke City
In the summer of 2005 Stoke City manager, Johan Boskamp snapped him up for an undisclosed fee.[2] He made his debut for the club in a 0-0 draw against Sheffield 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 against Kazakhstan (0–0).
During the January 2007 transfer window he was linked with a return to Belgium, with Club Brugge reportedly interested in him. He was also penalty taker for Stoke before the arrival of Danny Higginbotham, however he still maintained a 100% record for the club. Hoefkens impressed both manager and fans alike with his technical ability during the 2006–07 season. He was also praised for his versatility, as he operated as a winger or a central midfielder on occasions in the latter stages of the season.
It was feared that Hoefkens had broken a bone in his foot in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Portugal however a scan revealed that there was no damage.[3]
[edit] West Bromwich Albion
Stoke accepted a bid for Hoefkens from West Bromwich Albion on 4 August 2007.[4] 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.[5] Hoefkens made his Albion debut in a 2-1 defeat away at Burnley on the opening day of the 2007–08 season.[6] One week later, Hoefkens was named in the Championship Team of the Week, following his performance in the 2-0 home win over Preston North End.[7] He is known by his West Brom team mates as "Wolverine", due to his resemblance to the comic book hero from the X-Men.[8]
Hoefkens was released in the summer of 2009.[9]
[edit] Brugge
On 25 August 2009 Club Brugge signed the former West Bromwich Albion's Belgian right-back on a two-year deal. He became captain in the season 2010-2011. After the season ended, he signed for an extra year with the club.[10] On 27 January 2012 it was announced that he would not extend his contract as he felt the offer to be insufficient.
[edit] International career
Hoefkens has played for his country twenty two times and has scored one goal. He also represented Belgium in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.[11]
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 May 2006 | Cristal Arena, Genk |  Turkey |
3 – 3 | Drawn | Friendly |
[edit] Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stoke City | 2005–06 | 44 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 3 |
| 2006–07 | 45 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 2 | |
| Total | 89 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| West Bromwich Albion | 2007–08 | 42 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 0 |
| 2008–09 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Total | 52 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 62 | 0 | |
| Career Total | 141 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 157 | 5 | |
[edit] Honours
[edit] Individual
[edit] Playing style
He can play as either a centre back or a right back.
[edit] Personal life
Hoefkens is married and has two sons: Milan and Valentino. Hoefkens can speak Dutch, English, French, German and Italian.[12]
[edit] References
- ^ "Stoke City: The story". http://users.telenet.be/larca/larca/story.htm.
- ^ "Stoke complete deal for Hoefkens". BBC Sport. 2005-07-26. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/stoke_city/4683543.stm. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
- ^ "Hoefkens injury boost for Stoke". BBC Sport. 2007-03-28. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/stoke_city/6504343.stm. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
- ^ "West Brom close on Hoefkens deal". BBC Sport. 2007-08-05. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_bromwich_albion/6932245.stm. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
- ^ "Hoefkens seals Baggies switch". West Bromwich Albion F.C.. 2007-08-07. http://www.wba.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/0,,10366~1086164,00.html. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
- ^ "Burnley vs WBA". West Bromwich Albion F.C.. 2007-08-11. http://www.wba.premiumtv.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10366~37431,00.html. Retrieved 2007-08-11.
- ^ "Coca-Cola Championship Team Of The Week (20/08/2007)" (pdf). The Football League. 2007-08-20. http://www.football-league.premiumtv.co.uk/staticFiles/42/77/0,,10794~96066,00.pdf. Retrieved 2007-10-09.
- ^ "Saturday's gossip column". BBC Sport. 2008-04-05. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/7331969.stm. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
- ^ "Relegated West Brom release trio". BBC Sport. 2009-05-22. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_bromwich_albion/8063934.stm. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
- ^ Koster wacht af hoe Hoefkens zich toont
- ^ "Malaysia 1997 - Belgium squad". FIFA. http://www.fifa.com/en/comp/PrevSquad/0,4355,BEL-WYC-1997-191276-19,00.html. Retrieved 2007-05-25.[dead link]
- ^ "PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE: Carl Hoefkens". West Bromwich Albion F.C.. 2008-12-30. http://www.wba.premiumtv.co.uk/page/PastPresentandFuture/0,,10366~1503175,00.html. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
[edit] External links
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Clint Hill |
Stoke City F.C. Player of the Year 2005–06 |
Succeeded by Danny Higginbotham |
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- 1978 births
- People from Lier, Belgium
- Living people
- Association football defenders
- Belgian footballers
- Belgium international footballers
- Belgian expatriate footballers
- Belgian expatriates in the United Kingdom
- Expatriate footballers in England
- K. Lierse S.K. players
- K.F.C. Germinal Beerschot players
- K.V.C. Westerlo players
- Club Brugge K.V. players
- Stoke City F.C. players
- West Bromwich Albion F.C. players
- Belgian Pro League players
- Premier League players
- The Football League players
