François Van der Elst

François Van Der Elst (1977 )

François Van Der Elst ( born December 1, 1954 in Opwijk ) is a retired Belgian footballer.

Career

Club career

Van Der Elst began his career in the youth team of FC Mazenzele. In 1969 he came to RSC Anderlecht. In that time with the guys from Brussels he won in 1972 and 1974, the Belgian Championship and 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976 Belgian Cup winners. International 1976 and 1978 he was able to win the European Super Cup and in the same years the European Cup Winners' Cup. In the final, François Van Der Elst 1976 scored two goals to the triumph of the Belgians. In 1977 he was top scorer in the highest Belgian league. In 1980 he came to New York Cosmos. After just one year he went back to Europe and signed for West Ham United. After three years in England, he left his career at SC Lokeren finish.

International players career

International François Van Der Elst played 44 times for Belgium and scored 14 goals. He took part in the European Championships in Italy in 1980, where he was with the team vice European champion. At the World Championships in Spain in 1982, he retired with the Red Devils in the second group stage. Van der Elst was in all eight qualifying matches for Euro 1980 against group opponents Austria, Portugal, Scotland and Norway for the "Red Devils " in action, scoring five goals. It was the winning goal in a 2-1 success on 12 September 1979 in Oslo against Norway 2-0 in Brussels against Portugal, 1-0 lead on 21 November 1979, in the first leg against Scotland as well as the lead to 2: 0 and 3-0 on 19 December 1979 in Glasgow in the return game. Sandy Jardine, Graeme Souness, Kenny Dalglish and Joe Jordan had a team of Scotland in the 1-3 home defeat the playful superiority of the team of coach Guy Thys recognize. In the European Championship finals from 11 to 22 June 1980, Italy was the tricky winger in the three group matches against England (1:1 ), Spain ( 2-1) and Italy ( 0:0) active and stormed in the final on 22 June in Rome against Germany in Belgian attack on the side of his strike partner January Ceulemans. In the tight 1-2 defeat the two peaks were supported by the midfield with Julien Cools, Rene Vandereycken, Wilfried Van Moer and Raymond Mommens.

The World Cup qualifiers for the 1982 World Cup in Spain managed to Belgium without the injured Van der Elst, but in the final he came in Elche against El Salvador and the Camp Nou stadium on June 28, 1982 with the 0-3 defeat against Poland for deployment.

Achievements

• 2 x Belgian Champion (1972, 1974)
• 4 x Belgian Cup winner ( 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976 )
• 2 x European Supercup (1976, 1978)
• 2 x European Cup Winners' Cup (1976, 1978)
• 1980 final of the European Football Championship 1980