Born Oct. 2, 1943 in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw (province of Brabant).
Country Belgium
. Position Striker
. Club: Anderlecht Brussels (1958-1975), "Molenbek" Brussels (1975-1976), Eintracht Aalst (1976-1977).
. Total in D-1 Belgium: 481 game, 236 goals.
. Coached: Anderlecht (UEFA Cup winner 1983), Belgium squad (party World Cup 1994)
.
. Titles: Champion of Belgium 1959, . 1964, . 1965, . 1966, . 1967, . 1968, . 1972, . 1974, . 1975, . Cup Belgium 1965, . 1972, . 1973, . Top scorer Belgium 1964 (26), . 1966 (25), . 1968 (20, . with R. Klasenem), . Best Scorer Champions Cup 1966/67 (6 goals), . The best footballer of Belgium 1960, . 1961, . 1966, . 1974, . 3rd prizewinner of European Championship 1972, . Member of the World Cup 1970.,
. Play for Europe against a team from Scandinavia (1964)
.
Team 1960-1974: Held 81 matches and scored 31 goals.
In 40 games was captain.
The first match for the national team: October 19, 1960 against Sweden (0:2) in Stockholm.
Last match for the team: December 7, 1974 against East Germany (0:0) in Leipzig.
August 23, 1995 on the occasion of the centennial of the Belgian football federation decided to hand the Golden Boot of the century "the country's best player of all time. Was chosen as the laureate
Paul Van
Himst - legendary striker 60-70-ies.
BELGIUM'S BEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS IN 16 YEARS
Interestingly, a member of the club Anderlecht
Paul (or two, as they called him everything) became ... the age of three. Naturally, not on their own initiative and with the light hand of the father. Because it was something out of the ordinary, the young Van
Himste the whole Belgium has learned in its infancy - with a long for his strides in the football career was closely followed, the good talent he was not deprived. Enrolling in their ranks boy toddlers anderlehtovtsy still did not know that becoming the best player in their history.
At 10 years old boy in half, speaking for the child's team RSC Anderlecht, has proved superbombardirom. Expected of him a lot, but the rise occurred even steeper than anticipated. Van
Himst was recognized as the best player of Belgium in 1960. Since he was born in October of 1943, we find that he has surpassed all his fellow-players already in the age of 16!
The debut wunderkind Summit took place in December 17, 1959. On this day, barely stepped threshold of 16-th anniversary of the young man first played for Anderlecht against "Beringia". And in the next game against Gent "scored the first goal in the championship. Soon Van
Himst wore a T-shirt and team Belgium - October 19, 1960, when he was barely 17, he played against Sweden in Stockholm (the Belgians lost - 0:2). And through his Gholam for the national team Van
Himst opened again in his second match in a row - it happened three weeks later, when the "Red Devils" took Hungarians (2:1).
. The authority of Van
Himsta grew rapidly: in 1961 he was again named best player of the year in Belgium, then repeated this success in 1965 and 1974, and another three were runners-up in the referendum (in 1963, 1964 and 1971)
. Champion of Belgium, he became eight times (with five times in a row, . from 1964 to 1968), . leading scorer in the championship - three times (26 goals in a season - 63/64, . 25 - in sezone-65/66 and 20 - in sezone-67/68, . the last time - a couple with Roger Klassen from the "Standard").,
. By the mid 60-ies Van
Himst ranked among the leading football stars in Europe - many of conquering not only a large number of goals, but his brilliant technique and versatile skills
. He was from a breed of players who are called intellectuals. Athletic (height 181 cm, weight 81 kg) and muscular, he had no equal in dribbling and ball control. His crown slalom passes into the penalty area, he completed the usual cut hit the outside of the foot, one in Belgium could not repeat - at least with the regularity with which it acted Van
Himst. At home he called the White Pele.
MEXICAN FAILURE
Not enough Van
Himstu only a resounding success on the international arena. This gave him the chance in 1970, when the Belgians made their way to World Championships. In his 26 years went to the Mexican Popol Mundialyu in the prime of. But there it was waiting for a frank failure. Mexican Heat overcame far weaker Belgian team, which lost and the owners - 0:1 (albeit unfairly, by clearly invented penalty), and the USSR national team - 1:4. And most of all "sour" Van
Himst, who was identified as the main disappointment of the tournament. All poked his finger, and so stirred his soul that he is 26 years old, announced his retirement from national team. Then he changed his mind and returned. And the sin was not to return, when Belgium had hosted the European Championship 1972. Third place "Red Devils" was the Van
Himstu compensation for the failure of two years ago. Besides the Euro-72, he broke the national record for number of matches for the national team (69), which was established long before Vic Mesom.
But, whatever one may say, Careers Wang
Himsta already was setting. Very early and a half decades, having served a cornerstone in the "architecture", RSC Anderlecht, to 30 years it is largely exhausted itself, and on Dec. 7, 1974 last played for the national team against the East Germans (0:0). He brought his experience to the team to 81 matches, and a dozen years, his rate remained the national record, until it was surpassed, Jan Ceulemans with Eric Geretsom.
. In pocketed for the national team Gholam he also overstretched to a record belonging to scorer 30-ies Bernardo Forhofu (30), but failed to exceed its
. Third on the list is Jeff Mermans (27), which was considered the most charismatic figure in the Anderlecht to Van
Himsta. Naturally Mermans was his childhood idol, he tried to copy him and considered him the best player of the world. Pele in the rating of his passions was only after Mermansa.
.
8:3 TO FAREWELL
In 1974, Van
Himst the first of the players received a national "Trophy for Sporting Merit, which after it was awarded as Ceulemans and Michel Preud'homme
. A year later, he held his farewell match in which Anderlecht team confronted the world. Although, . that the latter were Pele, . Cruyff, . Jairzinho, . Rivera, . Eusebio, . Amancio, . Wang Khaneghah and other stars, . the gate was the best goalkeeper at the time a Pole Tomaszewski, . and from the bench headed Rinus Michels, . team lost to the world with a score of 3:8 indecent,
. World stars only excuse is that they did not implement two penalties (blunder Pele and Eusebio). Hero for the day spent the whole match and scored two goals out of eight.
But this event did not mean final departure of Van
Himsta. Leaving Anderlecht, he spent one more season for "Molenbek and Alost" and only in 1977, finally parted with a great football. In recent years, a career he played longer at the point of attack, and in midfield. For "Molenbek" scored just one goal in 21 game, "Aloste" has not always come in basic composition, although the club played in the third division (and became the winner).
. The first time after the playing career Van
Himst devoted family (his son and two daughters) and business (as well as other well-known Belgian player Wilfried Van Moore, he owned a cafц?)
. Friends with famous countryman - cyclist Eddy Merckx. Both stars traveling together runs.
Coach Van
Himsta activities started very successfully. Replacing a sezone-82/83 in Anderlecht Tomislav Ivic, he immediately got what is not sought when he was a player - led the team to victory in the UEFA Cup. The following year he again led her to the finals of this tournament, but this time Anderlecht on penalties gave Tottenham Hotspur. In 1985, under his leadership became the champion club of Brussels Belgium, but in the course sezona-85/86 Van
Himst was suddenly removed from his post and replaced by Ari Khan.
. New stage for him came in 1991 - the reins of the Belgian team of Van
Himstu handed old Guy Thys, who led the team 15 years
. Van
Himst team made a party to the World Cup in the U.S., but there again, as in 1970, has made no difference: the Belgians have gone the distance in 1 / 8 finals. And in the course of the selection round of the European Championship in 1996 Van
Himst resigned, being replaced by an old friend and partner in the team Wilfred Van Moore. Credibility and respect Van
Himsta were used in the organization of Belgium 2000 European Championships.
