Lei Clijsters

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Lei Clijsters

| fullname = Leo Albert Jozef Clijsters

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1956|11|6}}

| birth_place = Opitter, Belgium

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2009|1|4|1956|11|6}}

| death_place = Gruitrode, Belgium

| height = 1.78 m

| position = Centre-back

| youthyears1 = 1968–1973

| youthclubs1 = Opitter

| years1 = 1973–1975

| clubs1 = Club Brugge

| caps1 = 1

| goals1 = 0

| years2 = 1975–1977

| clubs2 = Patro Eisden

| caps2 = 29

| goals2 = 1

| years3 = 1977–1982

| clubs3 = Tongeren

| caps3 = 167

| goals3 = 22

| years4 = 1982–1986

| clubs4 = Thor Waterschei

| caps4 = 119

| goals4 = 6

| years5 = 1986–1992

| clubs5 = Mechelen

| caps5 = 174

| goals5 = 13

| years6 = 1992–1993

| clubs6 = FC Liège

| caps6 = 21

| goals6 = 0

| totalcaps = 511

| totalgoals = 42

| nationalyears1 = 1983–1991

| nationalteam1 = Belgium

| nationalcaps1 = 40

| nationalgoals1 = 3

| manageryears1 = 1993–1994

| managerclubs1 = Patro Eisden

| manageryears2 = 1994–1997

| managerclubs2 = Gent

| manageryears3 = 1998

| managerclubs3 = Lommel SK

| manageryears4 = 1999–2000

| managerclubs4 = Diest

| manageryears5 = 2000

| managerclubs5 = Mechelen

| manageryears6 = 2000–2001

| managerclubs6 = Diest

| manageryears7 = 2007–2008

| managerclubs7 = Tongeren

| image = Lei_Clijsters_1988.png

| caption = Clijsters with the Golden Shoe in 1988

}}

Leo Albert Jozef "Lei" Clijsters (6 November 1956 – 4 January 2009) was a Belgian professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

Throughout his extensive senior career, the tough stopper was mainly associated with KV Mechelen, with whom he won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. Also a prominent member of the Belgium national team, he was the father of tennis players Kim[http://www.dhnet.be/sports/tennis/article/171982/lei-clijsters-je-ne-lis-que-des-ragots.html Lei Clijsters: "Je ne lis que des ragots" (Lei Clijsters: "I read nothing but rumours")]; DH, 3 May 2007 {{in lang|fr}} and Elke Clijsters.[http://communities.canada.com/montrealgazette/blogs/opencourt/archive/2008/03/18/clijsters-a-baby-mamma.aspx Clijsters a baby mamma – and her mamma's a baby mamma too] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527172015/http://communities.canada.com/montrealgazette/blogs/opencourt/archive/2008/03/18/clijsters-a-baby-mamma.aspx |date=27 May 2009 }}; The Gazette, 18 March 2008

Club career

Lei Clijsters was born on 6 November 1956 in Opitter, started his football career with local Opitter FC. Later, he played for Club Brugge KV, but left the club after a disappointing two-year stint; he started his career as a midfielder. Subsequently, Clijsters represented K.S.K. Tongeren, K. Patro Maasmechelen, K. Waterschei S.V. Thor Genk, KV Mechelen and R.F.C. de Liège. With Mechelen, he won the Belgian Cup in 1987, going on to conquer the subsequent UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and European Super Cup. He added the Belgian League in 1988–89, always as club captain.

In 1988, Clijsters also won the Golden Shoe award as league's MVP, and eventually retired with Liège at almost 37. Immediately, he starting working as a manager with former club Patro Eisden, then moving to K.A.A. Gent,{{cite web|url=http://www.kaagent.be/_kaagent/archive.php |title=Beknopte geschiedenis van KAA Gent |publisher=KAA Gent |language=nl |access-date=1 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070709132810/http://www.kaagent.be/_kaagent/archive.php |archive-date= 9 July 2007 |url-status=dead }} K.F.C. Lommel S.K. (July–December 1998), K. Tesamen Hogerop Diest (two spells, in 1999–2000 and November 2000 – June 2001) and Mechelen (July–November 2000). Clijsters was endorsed by Diadora.{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/sports/kroichick/article/Capriati-Clijsters-reach-final-Compelling-2600037.php |title=Capriati, Clijsters reach final / Compelling matchup looms for Bank of the West title |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=27 July 2003 |first=Ron |last=Kroichick |access-date=8 September 2014 }}

Afterward, he managed the professional tennis career of his daughter Kim. After her retirement, "Lei" became coach of third division club Tongeren, with which he had also played, in October 2007. He resigned in January 2008, after his family announced that he was suffering from a serious illness. Details were kept secret, but in February the Belgian press reported it to be metastatic melanoma[http://www.myfreesport.fr/sports/tennis/0/kim-clijsters-maman-une-petite-fille-42041.html Kim Clijsters maman d'une petite fille (Kim Clijsters mother of a baby girl)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013231522/http://www.myfreesport.fr/sports/tennis/0/kim-clijsters-maman-une-petite-fille-42041.html |date=13 October 2008 }}; My Free Sport {{in lang|fr}} and that treatment was not working.

International career

Clijsters played in 40 international matches for the Belgium national team, participating at UEFA Euro 1984 and the 1986 and 1990 FIFA World Cups.

In the 1986 edition, as Belgium reached the last four, he only appeared in two matches (being used as a substitute in the 2–1 win over Iraq and the famous round of 16 4–3 victory over the USSR.

In 1990, Clijsters saw action against South Korea (2–0 win), Uruguay (in which he scored a header in a 3–1 triumph[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930225903/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=76/results/matches/match=66/report.html Belgium – Uruguay match report]; FIFA.com) and England (1–0 loss after extra time).

Personal life

Clijsters was married to Els Vandecaetsbeek from 1982 until 2005.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/sports/06iht-robweb.19123858.html?gwh=784E2DEB19CBA798A51BFAD93EBF6D5D&gwt=pay&_r=0 |title=Farewell to the tranquil captain |newspaper=The New York Times |date=6 January 2009 |first=Rob |last=Hughes |access-date=8 September 2014 }}

Death

On 4 January 2009, Leo Clijsters succumbed to an illness at age 52.[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/tennis/01/04/clijsters.father.dies.ap/index.html Father of Kim Clijsters dies] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124154113/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/tennis/01/04/clijsters.father.dies.ap/index.html |date=24 January 2009 }}; Sports Illustrated, 4 January 2009[https://web.archive.org/web/20090107231325/http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/kind=2/newsid=790399.html Belgium mourns Clijsters]; UEFA.com Upon his death, Belgian newspapers like Het Laatste Nieuws revealed that he suffered from a recurrence of melanoma which had spread to the lungs and other organs, having already experienced a bout of this condition twenty-five years earlier.[http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/949/Belgisch-Voetbal/article/detail/589118/2009/01/04/Lei-Clijsters-overleden-aan-huidkanker.dhtml Lei Clijsters overleden aan huidkanker (Lei Clijsters dies of skin cancer)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206153225/http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/949/Belgisch-Voetbal/article/detail/589118/2009/01/04/Lei-Clijsters-overleden-aan-huidkanker.dhtml |date=6 February 2009 }}; HLN, 4 January 2009 {{in lang|nl}}

Honours

= Player =

KV Mechelen{{cite web|title=KV Mechelen {{!}} Geschiedenis|url=http://www.stamnummer25.be/}}

Belgian First Division: 1988–89
Belgian Cup: 1986–87; runner-up 1990–91, 1991–92{{cite web|title=Belgium - List of Cup Finals|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/belgcuphist.html}}
European Cup Winners Cup: 1987–88
European Super Cup: 1988
Amsterdam Tournament: 1989{{cite web|title=Amsterdam Tournament|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/amsterdam.html}}
Joan Gamper Trophy: 1989{{cite web|title=Uitslagen van de Joan Gamper Trophy|url=https://campnou.nl/fcbarcelona/joan-gamper-trophy/}}
Jules Pappaert Cup: 1990{{cite web|title=Le Trophée Pappaert|date=12 October 2023 |url=https://www.dhnet.be/sports/football/le-trophee-pappaert-c-est-reparti-5bb21893cd70a16d8128c4d6}}

Belgium

FIFA World Cup: fourth place 1986{{cite web|title=FIFA 1986 World Cup|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/mexico1986/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605153554/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/mexico1986/|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 June 2016}}

Individual

Belgian Golden Shoe: 1988{{cite news|date=11 January 2012|title=OVERZICHT. Wie waren de voorgangers van Gouden Schoen-winnaar Matias Suarez?|publisher=Het Nieuwsblad|url=http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20120111_213|url-status=live|access-date=6 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206094652/http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20120111_213|archive-date=6 February 2016}}
Platina Eleven (Best Team in 50 Years of Golden Shoe Winners) (2003){{Cite web|last=UEFA.com|date=15 January 2004|title=Aruna voted Belgium's finest {{!}} Inside UEFA|url=https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/member-associations/BEL/news/0199-0f8452c4cff9-ecec98bb3aad-1000--aruna-voted-belgium-s-finest/|access-date=8 November 2020|website=UEFA|language=en}}{{dead link|date=March 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

References

External links

{{NFT player|id=19589}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20101116172723/http://clubbrugge.be/nl/club/geschiedenis/oudspeler/144/Clijsters-Lei Club Brugge archives] {{in lang|nl}}
{{WorldFootball.net|lei-clijsters}}

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Category:1956 births

Category:2009 deaths

Category:Sportspeople from Bree, Belgium

Category:Belgian men's footballers

Category:Footballers from Limburg (Belgium)