Christian Bouckenooghe
Encyclopedia
Christian "Kris" Bouckenooghe (born February 7, 1977) is a New Zealand
association football player of Belgian
and Cook Island Māori
descent. He plays as a defender
for Roeselare
in the lower divisions of Belgian football.
of a Cook Island Māori mother and a Belgian father, subsequently moving to New Zealand
as a child, where he played his youth soccer. He has played for New Zealand at age-group level, including a play-off series against the South African under-23 team to qualify for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, scoring in the NZ team's narrow 3-4 and 0-1 losses in that series. All of his early career was spent as a midfielder or striker, until converting to defence at K.S.V. Roeselare
in Belgium
. His first professional club was Rotherham
in England
, who signed him as a teenager on the recommendation of former New Zealand
national coach and ex Rotherham
player, Kevin Fallon
. From there he signed for KSV Roeselare
in the 1990s, his first of two periods with the club. He is the first New Zealander to play in the Belgian First Division
.
, the All Whites scoring 2 goals.
His career highlights include playing at both the 1999 and 2003 Confederations Cup in Mexico and France respectively, which New Zealand
qualified for as Oceania
champions after beating Australia
, previously the dominant power in the region.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
association football player of Belgian
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...
and Cook Island Māori
Cook Islands Maori
The Cook Islands Māori language, also called Māori Kūki 'Āirani or Rarotongan, is the official language of the Cook Islands. Most Cook Islanders also call it Te reo Ipukarea, literally "the language of the Ancestral Homeland"....
descent. He plays as a defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
for Roeselare
K.S.V. Roeselare
K.S.V. Roeselare is a Belgian football club, from the city of Roeselare in West Flanders. Its matricule is the n°134. It has last played in the Belgian Pro League from 2005-06 to 2009-10...
in the lower divisions of Belgian football.
Club career
He was born in the Cook IslandsCook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
of a Cook Island Māori mother and a Belgian father, subsequently moving to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
as a child, where he played his youth soccer. He has played for New Zealand at age-group level, including a play-off series against the South African under-23 team to qualify for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, scoring in the NZ team's narrow 3-4 and 0-1 losses in that series. All of his early career was spent as a midfielder or striker, until converting to defence at K.S.V. Roeselare
K.S.V. Roeselare
K.S.V. Roeselare is a Belgian football club, from the city of Roeselare in West Flanders. Its matricule is the n°134. It has last played in the Belgian Pro League from 2005-06 to 2009-10...
in 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...
. His first professional club was Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, who signed him as a teenager on the recommendation of former New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
national coach and ex Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
player, Kevin Fallon
Kevin Fallon
Kevin Fallon is an English born football coach residing in New Zealand.He started his career with Sligo Rovers in 1967. He played in 102 matches for Sligo in the League of Ireland Championship, the FAI Cup, the Shield, the City Cup and the Blaxnit All-Ireland Cup.He made his debut for Sligo in an...
. From there he signed for KSV Roeselare
K.S.V. Roeselare
K.S.V. Roeselare is a Belgian football club, from the city of Roeselare in West Flanders. Its matricule is the n°134. It has last played in the Belgian Pro League from 2005-06 to 2009-10...
in the 1990s, his first of two periods with the club. He is the first New Zealander to play in the Belgian First Division
Jupiler League
The Belgian Pro League is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Belgian Second Division...
.
International career
Bouckenooghe played 35 A-internationals for the New Zealand national soccer teamNew Zealand national soccer team
The New Zealand national football team, nicknamed the All Whites, is the national association football team of New Zealand and is governed by New Zealand Football . The team plays in an all-white strip rather than the traditional New Zealand sporting black due to a former FIFA regulation that...
, the All Whites scoring 2 goals.
His career highlights include playing at both the 1999 and 2003 Confederations Cup in Mexico and France respectively, which New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
qualified for as Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
champions after beating Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, previously the dominant power in the region.