Gert Verheyen (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈɣɛrtfərˈɦɛiə(n)];[a] also spelled Verheijen; born 20 September 1970) is a Belgian retired footballer and manager, who was last in charge of Oostende.
In a 20-year professional career, he was mainly associated with Anderlecht and Club Brugge (especially the latter), scoring over 200 official goals for both clubs combined; he was known to have rather few technical skills, relying on a hard-working approach.[1]
Born in Hoogstraten, Antwerp, Verheyen started playing professionally with Lierse, scoring ten Belgian Second Division goals in his two season-spell, as he was not yet aged 18. In the 1988 summer he moved to Anderlecht, where he did not have a good scoring record, also appearing rarely in his first two years.[2]
In 1992, Verheyen signed with Club Brugge, where he would remain for the next 14 years, rarely missing a game and netting in double digits in ten of those campaigns, with the side collecting four leagues and two cups. In October 2000 he was expected to move to England with Ipswich Town,[3] but the deal eventually fell through.[4]
After more than 500 overall appearances for Brugge (with 195 goals), Verheyen retired on 5 May 2006,[5] becoming a reserve team trainer at the club in 2006–07 and quitting football subsequently at the season's end.
Verheyen's was controversially sent off at the 1998 World Cup in France, as the Red Devils led 2–0 against Mexico. The foul resulted in a penalty, and the match ended a 2–2 draw;[6][7] despite the incident, he continued to be a regular in the next few years.
