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
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref |
1. | 11 November 1987 | Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 2–0 | 3–0 | Euro 1988 qualifying | ||
2. | 19 January 1988 | Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel | 1–0 | 3–2 | Friendly | ||
3. | 29 April 1989 | Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1990 World Cup qualification | ||
4. | 29 April 1989 | Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1990 World Cup qualification | ||
5. | 8 June 1989 | Terry Fox, Ottawa, Canada | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | ||
6. | 23 August 1989 | Olympiastadion, Bruges, Belgium | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | ||
7. | 11 October 1989 | St. Jakob, Basel, Switzerland | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1990 World Cup qualification | ||
8. | 2 June 1990 | Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | ||
9. | 2 June 1990 | Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | ||
10. | 12 June 1990 | Marcantonio Bentegodi, Verona, Italy | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1990 FIFA World Cup | ||
11. | 27 March 1991 | Constant Vanden Stock, Brussels, Belgium | 1–0 | 1–1 | Euro 1992 qualifying | ||
12. | 11 September 1991 | Neie Stadium, Luxembourg, Luxembourg | 2–0 | 2–0 | Euro 1992 qualifying | ||
13. | 18 November 1992 | Constant Vanden Stock, Brussels, Belgium | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1994 World Cup qualification | ||
14. | 4 June 1994 | Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 3–0 | 9–0 | Friendly | ||
15. | 4 June 1994 | Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 4–0 | 9–0 | Friendly | ||
16. | 4 June 1994 | Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 8–0 | 9–0 | Friendly | ||
17. | 8 June 1994 | Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly | ||
18. | 19 June 1994 | Citrus Bowl, Orlando, United States | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1994 World Cup | ||
19. | 7 September 1994 | Constant Vanden Stock, Brussels, Belgium | 2–0 | 2–0 | Euro 1996 qualifying | ||
20. | 12 October 1994 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 1–0 | 1–3 | Euro 1996 qualifying | ||
21. | 17 December 1994 | Constant Vanden Stock, Brussels, Belgium | 1–0 | 1–4 | Euro 1996 qualifying | ||
22. | 29 March 1995 | Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain | 1–1 | 1–1 | Euro 1996 qualifying | ||
23. | 31 August 1996 | King Baudouin, Brussels, Belgium | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1998 World Cup qualification |
Honours
Club
;Club Brugge- Belgian First Division: 1987–88
- Belgian Cup: 1985–86
- Belgian Super Cup: 1986, 1988
- Belgian First Division: 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95
- Belgian Cup: 1993–94
- Belgian Super Cup: 1993, 1995
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: Runner-up 1989–90
- Eredivisie: 1996–97
- Johan Cruijff Shield: 1996, 1997
Individual
- Belgian Golden Shoe: 1991
- Belgian First Division Footballer of the Year: 1987–88, 1989–90, 1994–95, 1999–2000