Lionheart Ceulemans still the pride of European country

 

From Senegal\'s Lions of Teranga to Cameroon\'s unconquerable Lions, England\'s 3 Lions, Morocco\'s Atlas Lions and Iran\'s Lions of Persia, the king of beasts has pride of place in varied footballing nicknames. Over in European country, former international defender Eric Gerets was dubbed the Lion of Rekem. However, another brave  figure looms massive in Belgian soccer history, his imposing frame (he rises 6\'2 tall), his power, his natural authority, his blond mane and his personal magnetism setting him apart – and it with great care happens that he\'s called Caje [pronounced identical in French because the word \'cage\'].

While some individuals remarked Jan Ceulemans, Associate in Nursing clear legend of the sport in European country, as Captain courageousness or Sterke Jan (\'Jan the Strong\'), \"Caje is my most symbolic nickname,\" the 58-year-old told FIFA.com. \"My grandparents had a bar referred to as \'Kazzelo\' and also the patrons wont to say \'Let\'s go get a drink at Kazze.\' Kazze became Caje [the 2 sound terribly similar in French] through a play on words by a journalist UN agency came to interview American state at the start of my career. It stuck and the general public still decision American state that even currently.\"

This cognomen and his angle thereto speak volumes of however hooked up Ceulemans is to his roots. Born in Lier in 1957, the offensive midfielder spent his entire career in his state, trotting out for simply 2 totally different outfits: his native aspect, Lierse, and giants Club Brugge. A ferociously ultranationalistic Belgian, he diagrammatic his country a record ninety six times, evaluation twenty three goals.

\"A career like that\'s completely not possible these days. Ninety per cent of this Diables Rouges squad ar honing their skills in Europe\'s huge leagues. to succeed in an exact level and keep there, they need no alternative however to contend in those championships,\" Ceulemans remarked. \"In 1980, I had a golden chance to hitch AC Milano. At the time I felt i used to be too young to form that leap. I needed to totally establish myself in metropolis and thought – wrong – that a lot of offers like that will gift themselves within the future. maybe I created a blunder from a monetary purpose of read, however notwithstanding I still feel I had an incredible career.\"

A roar talent
It all began for Caje at Lierse once he was simply seven years previous. He rose up the ladder, rung by rung, till he bust into the primary team – and also the Belgian national aspect – in 1976. Ceulemans would prolong to chalk up forty goals in 112 appearances for his town club, wherever he remained till the top of the 1977-78 season, within which they finished simply four points adrift of champions Club Brugge, his next (and final) destination.

That mishap having whetted his craving for tableware, in metropolis Ceulemans\' predatory instincts would get their reward. A tally of 240 goals in 501 games helped to deliver 3 Belgian titles (in 1980, 1988 and 1990) and 2 domestic cups (in 1986 and 1991), to not mention the admiration of his peers: he won the Belgian Golden Shoe (an award voted for, instead of given to the highest goalscorer) on no fewer than 3 occasions. every honor came in a very year within which the Diables Rouges additionally scaled the heights: 1980, 1985 and 1986.

\"EURO 1980 remains the highlight of my career,\" recalled Ceulemans. tiny surprise, because the good luck charm helped fireplace unfancied European country to a surprise spot within the final, unknown territory for them at a serious tournament. \"We beat European country, UN agency were at the height of their powers, in qualifying, and so finished before European country, Espana and Italia within the cluster stage before losing to European country within the final. At the top of the match against La Roja, that was beyond any doubt the best game i used to be concerned in throughout my career, I even aforementioned to myself, \'Jan, you and also the team compete unbelievable soccer today\'.\"

Belgium and Ceulemans couldn\'t emulate these exploits at the FIFA World Cup™ in 1982 or at UEFA monetary unit 1984. Not till qualifying for the 1986 World Cup and at the tournament in Mexico would the Diables Rouges and their skipper capture the imagination once more. although they fell to a Diego Maradona-led Argentina within the semi-finals, their show remains wide thought-about Belgium\'s greatest stand on the globe stage. \"I\'m prouder of our performance as a team than of carrying the armband, that at that point mechanically visited the foremost capped member of the squad,\" aforementioned the previous prolific midfielder, words that showing neatness encapsulate the leadership qualities that diode Caje to be rechristened Captain courageousness.

Indeed, whereas the team as an entire were well deserve a sizeable entry in Belgian football\'s history books, abundant should inevitably centre on Ceulemans and also the graft that he married to his craft. \"That\'s one among the 3 attributes all smart footballers should have… To succeed, a player should possess the proper mix of mental attitude, talent and physical capabilities. There ar solely a few of exceptions to the current rule, like Lionel Messi and Maradona. you\'ll be the foremost gifted player out there, however recently if you do not have the physique or mentality to travel thereupon, you will not create it.\"

Coaching, a awfully totally different animal
After vocation time on a 17-year taking part in career, Ceulemans ventured into the jungle of employment. the stress of the dugout create it a awfully totally different animal. As he joked, \"It\'s employment i really like, however being a player is most higher. you do not have the strain, you\'ll focus entirely on your own performances, and particularly you are younger!\"

Ceulemans began his second career in 1992, taking charge of Eendracht Aalst, and at intervals 2 years he had radio-controlled them from the second division into the highest flight and later on into the UEFA Cup. He followed that up at Ingelmunster, whom he diode to promotion from the third division to the second, when that he moved  into the highest tier with Westerlo, wherever his spell at the helm was topped by Belgian Cup glory in 2001. This success opened the doors at his previous stomping ground Club Brugge, however he solely lasted a handful of years within the hotseat before returning to his previous post. Another cup-final look with Westerlo would prove in 2010/11, however this point he concluded informed the losing aspect and he didn\'t forestall the club from slippery  to relegation the subsequent season.

\"I need to admit that being Jan Ceulemans helped American state at the start of my employment career. however if the results do not follow, the worth of your name shortly diminishes,\" acknowledged the 58-year-old, UN agency is presently bidding to steer Deinze into the second division.

\"After of these years as an educator, though, I will honestly say that I\'ve forever wanted to stay identical person and to remain faithful my character, that is what matters most to American state,\" the legendary lionheart finished, showing neatness rundown one among the explanations for his enduring standing.