Stijn Stijnen
Encyclopedia
Stijn Stijnen (ˈstɛi̯n ˈstɛi̯.nə(n)) (born 7 April 1981 in Hasselt
, Limburg
) is a Belgian
footballer who plays for Beerschot AC as a goalkeeper.
to Club Brugge K.V. in 2000, aged 19, and became the club's first stand-in for veteran Dany Verlinden
; when the latter retired at 41, he backed up Tomislav Butina
. On 18 April 2003, he made his debut in the league, in a game against Racing Genk
(0–3). However, his big breakthrough came in the 2005–06 season, when he replaced the injured Butina several times. Some strong performances (including the UEFA Champions League
contest against Juventus FC
- a 1–2 group stage home loss) made him the undisputed first-choice onwards.
In 2006–07, Stijnen was between the posts as Brugge won the domestic cup
(1–0 against Standard Liège
), but the club only finished sixth in the league. He never played in less than 31 league games in the following three seasons, but the club did not manage to win any silverware.
On 20 February 2011, Stijnen was relegated to the B-team, after it became known that he and his family members had engaged in a malicious anonymous campaign on the club's message board, where they were blasting both the club management and fellow team members while simultaneously hailing Stijnen as the "club hero" in order to promote his profile. The following day, both parties agreed to dissolve the contract which bound the player to the club until 2015.
, on 11 May 2006.
In March 2007, before an UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier in Portugal
, Stijnen reportedly claimed his teammates should take opponent star Cristiano Ronaldo
out of the game in an early stage, by all means necessary. Eventually, the home side won 4–0, with Ronaldo netting twice, and the Manchester United
player accepted the Belgian's apologies.
Stijnen retired from international play in October 2009, after collecting 30 caps.
Hasselt
Hasselt is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital of the Flemish province of Limburg...
, Limburg
Limburg (Belgium)
Limburg is the easternmost province of modern Flanders, which is one of the three main political and cultural sub-divisions of modern Belgium. It is located west of the river Meuse . It borders on the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Limburg and the Belgian provinces of Liège, Flemish Brabant...
) is a 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...
footballer who plays for Beerschot AC as a goalkeeper.
Club career
Stijnen moved from K.S.C. HasseltK.S.C. Hasselt
Koninklijke Sporting Club Hasselt was a Belgian football club founded in 1908 as E.F.C. Hasselt. The matricule n°37 was erased in 2001 after the merge with K.S.K. Kermt to become K.S.K. Kermt-Hasselt...
to Club Brugge K.V. in 2000, aged 19, and became the club's first stand-in for veteran Dany Verlinden
Dany Verlinden
Daniel 'Dany' Verlinden is a retired Belgian footballer who played as a goalkeeper.Often referred to as De Muur , he played most of his career at Club Brugge, having played into his 40s....
; when the latter retired at 41, he backed up Tomislav Butina
Tomislav Butina
Tomislav Butina is a former Croatian footballer who played as goalkeeper for top level clubs Dinamo Zagreb, Club Brugge and Olympiacos. He was also capped 28 times for the Croatia national football team in the period from 2001 to 2006 and was member of Croatian squads at the 2002 and 2006 FIFA...
. On 18 April 2003, he made his debut in the league, in a game against Racing Genk
K.R.C. Genk
Koninklijke Racing Club Genk , usually referred to as Racing Genk or simply Genk, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Genk in Belgian Limburg. Racing Genk plays in the Belgian Pro League and they have won 3 Belgian champion titles in 1998–99, in 2001–02 and in 2010–11 as...
(0–3). However, his big breakthrough came in the 2005–06 season, when he replaced the injured Butina several times. Some strong performances (including the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
contest against Juventus FC
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
- a 1–2 group stage home loss) made him the undisputed first-choice onwards.
In 2006–07, Stijnen was between the posts as Brugge won the domestic cup
Belgian Cup
The Belgian Cup is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Belgian Football Association. The first cup was held in 1911-12. The most successful cup club is Club Brugge KV with 10 titles followed by RSC Anderlecht and R Standard de Liège...
(1–0 against 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....
), but the club only finished sixth in the league. He never played in less than 31 league games in the following three seasons, but the club did not manage to win any silverware.
On 20 February 2011, Stijnen was relegated to the B-team, after it became known that he and his family members had engaged in a malicious anonymous campaign on the club's message board, where they were blasting both the club management and fellow team members while simultaneously hailing Stijnen as the "club hero" in order to promote his profile. The following day, both parties agreed to dissolve the contract which bound the player to the club until 2015.
International career
Belgium manager René Vandereycken noticed Stijnen's performances at club level, and handed him in a friendly against Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia national football team
Saudi Arabia national football team is the national team of Saudi Arabia and is controlled by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation...
, on 11 May 2006.
In March 2007, before an UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier in 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...
, Stijnen reportedly claimed his teammates should take opponent star Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
out of the game in an early stage, by all means necessary. Eventually, the home side won 4–0, with Ronaldo netting twice, and the Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
player accepted the Belgian's apologies.
Stijnen retired from international play in October 2009, after collecting 30 caps.
Club statistics
| Season | Club | Country | Competition | Games | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002/03 | Club Brugge | Belgian League | 2 | 0 | |
| 2003/04 | Club Brugge | Belgian League | 0 | 0 | |
| 2004/05 | Club Brugge | Belgian League | 1 | 0 | |
| 2005/06 | Club Brugge | Belgian League | 15 | 0 | |
| 2006/07 | Club Brugge | Belgian League | 27 | 0 | |
| 2007/08 | Club Brugge | Belgian League | 31 | 0 | |
| 2008/09 | Club Brugge | Belgian League | 31 | 0 | |
| 2009/10 | Club Brugge | Belgian League | 35 | 0 | |
| 2010/11 | Club Brugge | Belgian League | 12 | 0 | |
| 2011/12 | Beerschot AC | Belgian League | 1 | 0 |