Marc Degryse


Marc Gabriel Degryse, nicknamed Le Lutin d'Ardooie and The Little One, is a Belgian retired footballer who played as a forward.
In a 19-year professional career he played mainly for Club Brugge and Anderlecht, making his senior debuts at 17 and scoring nearly 200 official goals both clubs combined to win a total of ten major titles. He also competed briefly in England for Sheffield Wednesday.
A Belgian international for 12 years, Degryse represented the nation in two World Cups.

Club career

Born in Roeselare, West Flanders, Degryse played with equal success in the Belgian Pro League with giants Club Brugge and Anderlecht, moving to the latter in 1989 for a then-record €2.25 million and proceeding to win five national championships combined, three in a row.
He moved for £1.5 million to Sheffield Wednesday in the 1995 summer, but left after just one season as an important unit in helping the English club's eventual escape from relegation, after a 15th-place finish. During his time in South Yorkshire, he and teammate Orlando Trustfull had a cameo role in Sheffield-based film The Full Monty, but the scenes did not make the final cut.
In the following two campaigns Degryse played in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven, where he often struggled with injuries. He retired in 2002 at the age of nearly 37, after spells back in his country with K.A.A. Gent and Germinal Beerschot, having played 540 professional matches and scored 209 goals.
Degryse returned to Club Brugge as a technical director the following year, before he eventually resigned due to bad results in late January 2007, alongside longtime former teammate, coach Franky Van der Elst.

International career

On the international level, Degryse played 63 matches with the Belgian national team and scored 23 goals. He was summoned for the squads at two FIFA World Cups: 1990 and 1994, netting twice in seven games.
Degryse's debut came just one day after his 19th birthday, in a friendly with Argentina.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetitionRef
1.11 November 1987Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium2–03–0Euro 1988 qualifying
2.19 January 1988Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel1–03–2Friendly
3.29 April 1989Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium1–02–11990 World Cup qualification
4.29 April 1989Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium2–12–11990 World Cup qualification
5.8 June 1989Terry Fox, Ottawa, Canada2–02–0Friendly
6.23 August 1989Olympiastadion, Bruges, Belgium1–03–0Friendly
7.11 October 1989St. Jakob, Basel, Switzerland1–12–21990 World Cup qualification
8.2 June 1990Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium1–03–0Friendly
9.2 June 1990Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium2–03–0Friendly
10.12 June 1990Marcantonio Bentegodi, Verona, Italy1–02–01990 FIFA World Cup
11.27 March 1991Constant Vanden Stock, Brussels, Belgium1–01–1Euro 1992 qualifying
12.11 September 1991Neie Stadium, Luxembourg, Luxembourg2–02–0Euro 1992 qualifying
13.18 November 1992Constant Vanden Stock, Brussels, Belgium2–02–01994 World Cup qualification
14.4 June 1994Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium3–09–0Friendly
15.4 June 1994Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium4–09–0Friendly
16.4 June 1994Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium8–09–0Friendly
17.8 June 1994Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium2–03–1Friendly
18.19 June 1994Citrus Bowl, Orlando, United States1–01–01994 World Cup
19.7 September 1994Constant Vanden Stock, Brussels, Belgium2–02–0Euro 1996 qualifying
20.12 October 1994Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark1–01–3Euro 1996 qualifying
21.17 December 1994Constant Vanden Stock, Brussels, Belgium1–01–4Euro 1996 qualifying
22.29 March 1995Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain1–11–1Euro 1996 qualifying
23.31 August 1996King Baudouin, Brussels, Belgium1–02–11998 World Cup qualification

Honours

Club

;Club Brugge
;Anderlecht
;PSV Eindhoven