Carl Hoefkens
Encyclopedia
Carl Hoefkens (ˈkɑrl ˈɦuf.kəns) (born 6 October 1978) is a Belgian footballer who is playing in Club Brugge
.
, Belgium
, Hoefkens started his career at K. Lierse S.K. and played there for six years. He made his breakthrough with Lierse in first class and won the Belgian Cup in 1999, beating Standard Liège
in the final with 3-1. Afterwards, he made a move to Lommel
but his move turned into a nightmare, when Lommel went broke in 2003. In the summer of 2003, he came to Germinal Beerschot, the first class team of the Belgian city of Antwerp. There, he became one of the pillars of the team. In his second season at Germinal Beerschot, he won the cup in the final against FC Bruges, then champions of Belgium. Hoefkens is still appreciated by Beerschot fans; a group of fans from the club have travelled to England on numerous occasions to watch him play.
manager, Johan Boskamp
snapped him up for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut for the club in a 0-0 draw against Sheffield Wednesday
on 6 August 2005. Hoefkens became an ever-present in the Stoke line-up and wore the number 2 shirt.
Hoefkens received acclaim for his performances in his first season in English football. He became a fans favourite at Stoke and was crowned 'Fans' Player of the year (2005–06). He then won his 9th cap for his country against Kazakhstan
(0–0).
During the January 2007 transfer window
he was linked with a return to Belgium, with Club Brugge reportedly interested in him. He was also penalty
taker for Stoke before the arrival of Danny Higginbotham
, however he still maintained a 100% record for the club. Hoefkens impressed both manager and fans alike with his technical ability during the 2006–07 season. He was also praised for his versatility, as he operated as a winger or a central midfielder on occasions in the latter stages of the season.
It was feared that Hoefkens had broken a bone in his foot in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Portugal
however a scan revealed that there was no damage.
on 4 August 2007. He joined Albion on 7 August 2007 in a £750,000 deal and was offered a two-year contract plus a further one-year as an option. Hoefkens made his Albion debut in a 2-1 defeat away at Burnley on the opening day of the 2007–08 season. One week later, Hoefkens was named in the Championship Team of the Week, following his performance in the 2-0 home win over Preston North End
. He is known by his West Brom team mates as "Wolverine
", due to his resemblance to the comic book hero from the X-Men
.
Hoefkens was released in the summer of 2009.
signed the former West Bromwich Albion's Belgian right-back on a two-year deal. He became captain in the season 2010-2011. After the season ended, he signed for an extra year with the club.
.
Club Brugge
Club Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging is a football club from Bruges in Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and is one of the top clubs in Belgium. Its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,472....
.
Early career
Born in LierLier, Belgium
Lier is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the city of Lier proper and the village of Koningshooikt. On January 1, 2010 Lier had a total population of 33,930. The total area is 49.70 km² which gives a population density of 669 inhabitants per...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Hoefkens started his career at K. Lierse S.K. and played there for six years. He made his breakthrough with Lierse in first class and won the Belgian Cup in 1999, beating Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
in the final with 3-1. Afterwards, he made a move to Lommel
K.F.C. Lommel S.K.
Koninklijke Football Club Lommelse Sportkring was a Belgian football club that existed between 1932 and 2003. It played two spells at the highest level in the Belgian football league system: from 1992 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2003. Its best ranking was reached in 1997 when it finished...
but his move turned into a nightmare, when Lommel went broke in 2003. In the summer of 2003, he came to Germinal Beerschot, the first class team of the Belgian city of Antwerp. There, he became one of the pillars of the team. In his second season at Germinal Beerschot, he won the cup in the final against FC Bruges, then champions of Belgium. Hoefkens is still appreciated by Beerschot fans; a group of fans from the club have travelled to England on numerous occasions to watch him play.
Stoke City
In the summer of 2005 Stoke CityStoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
manager, Johan Boskamp
Johan Boskamp
Johannes Boskamp is a Dutch football manager, his most recent job was in Belgium managing KSK Beveren, but he was dismissed in late December 2009-Career:...
snapped him up for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut for the club in a 0-0 draw against Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
on 6 August 2005. Hoefkens became an ever-present in the Stoke line-up and wore the number 2 shirt.
Hoefkens received acclaim for his performances in his first season in English football. He became a fans favourite at Stoke and was crowned 'Fans' Player of the year (2005–06). He then won his 9th cap for his country against Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan national football team
The Kazakhstan national football team represents Kazakhstan in international men's association football and is directed by Football Federation of Kazakhstan. They split from the Soviet Union national football team after independence in 1991 and joined the Asian Football Confederation's Central and...
(0–0).
During the January 2007 transfer window
Transfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...
he was linked with a return to Belgium, with Club Brugge reportedly interested in him. He was also penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
taker for Stoke before the arrival of Danny Higginbotham
Danny Higginbotham
Daniel John "Danny" Higginbotham is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League club Stoke City.Higginbotham started his career at his local side Manchester United he made seven appearances at Old Trafford as well as a loan spell with Belgium side Royal Antwerp before joining...
, however he still maintained a 100% record for the club. Hoefkens impressed both manager and fans alike with his technical ability during the 2006–07 season. He was also praised for his versatility, as he operated as a winger or a central midfielder on occasions in the latter stages of the season.
It was feared that Hoefkens had broken a bone in his foot in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
however a scan revealed that there was no damage.
West Bromwich Albion
Stoke accepted a bid for Hoefkens from West Bromwich AlbionWest Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
on 4 August 2007. He joined Albion on 7 August 2007 in a £750,000 deal and was offered a two-year contract plus a further one-year as an option. Hoefkens made his Albion debut in a 2-1 defeat away at Burnley on the opening day of the 2007–08 season. One week later, Hoefkens was named in the Championship Team of the Week, following his performance in the 2-0 home win over Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
. He is known by his West Brom team mates as "Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
", due to his resemblance to the comic book hero from the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
.
Hoefkens was released in the summer of 2009.
Brugge
On 25 August 2009 Club BruggeClub Brugge
Club Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging is a football club from Bruges in Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and is one of the top clubs in Belgium. Its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,472....
signed the former West Bromwich Albion's Belgian right-back on a two-year deal. He became captain in the season 2010-2011. After the season ended, he signed for an extra year with the club.
International career
Hoefkens has played for his country twenty two times and has scored one goal. He also represented Belgium in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship1997 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 11th staging of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It was held from June 16 to July 5, 1997 in Malaysia.-Venues:-Qualification:The following 24 teams qualified for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship...
.
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 May 2006 | Cristal Arena Cristal Arena The Cristal Arena is a multi-purpose stadium in Genk, Belgium. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Racing Genk. The stadium holds 25,000 and was built in 1999. Heusden-Zolder used to play at this stadium for their single season at the top level in 2003-04... , Genk Genk Genk is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the city of Genk itself... |
3 – 3 | Drawn | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stoke City Stoke City F.C. Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts... |
2005–06 | 44 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 3 |
| 2006–07 | 45 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 2 | |
| Total | 89 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion F.C. West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands... |
2007–08 | 42 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 0 |
| 2008–09 2008–09 in English football The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while... |
10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Total | 52 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 62 | 0 | |
| Career Total | 141 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 157 | 5 | |
Individual
- Stoke City player of the year: 2006