Michel Preud'homme
Michel Preud'homme 2008
Michel Preud'homme ( born January 24, 1959 in Ougrée ) is a former Belgian footballer and current coach. Since September 2013 he coached the Belgian first division side FC Bruges.
- 3.1 As a player
- 3.2 As a coach
Career as a player
Association
In his time as a professional Preud'homme played on the position of the goalkeeper. He began his career in 1977 at the Belgian club Standard Liege. For the season 1981/82 he celebrated with the team winning the Belgian Championship. This title was defended in the following season. Already in 1981, won Preud'homme the first title of his career. In the match for the Belgian Supercup, the team prevailed 3-1 on penalties against RSC Anderlecht. Shortly before they sat down in the final of the National Cup 4-0 against SC Lokeren through. By this victory, the team was entitled to attend the 1981/82 season at the Europa Cup Winners' Cup. It managed to be in the final against FC Barcelona. After a 1-0 lead, the club had the game but still be lost with 1:2. In 1982, after the final, Preud'homme has been locked because of a bribery affair for three years by the Belgian Football Association. After almost ten years, the goalkeeper moved in 1986 to League rival KV Mechelen. As in Liege, Preud'homme also played here with great success. In the first year after the change, the club won the Belgian Cup and the following season reached Preud'homme with his team for the second time the final of the Cup Winners' Cup Europakal. It was one against the Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam. With a goal by Piet Den Boer just after half- time the match was won 1-0. This should be the greatest success at the international level for Preud'homme be. Shortly thereafter, the Mechelen team also won the UEFA Super Cup against PSV Eindhoven. The following season he could again win the Belgian title.
In summer 1994, he moved Preud'homme for his last professional station abroad. He signed with the Portuguese club Benfica Lisbon a new contract. In 1996 he won the Portuguese Cup competition with Benfica.
In 1987 and 1989 he was voted Footballer of the Year in Belgium.
National
Preud'homme took over as number 1 with the Belgian national team at the World Championships in 1990 and 1994 in part. At the tournament in 1994 he was voted the best goalkeeper of the World Cup and in the same year as a World Goalkeeper of the Year. As early as 1989 he received an award as the second best goalkeeper in the world behind Walter Zenga. For his first major tournament Preud'homme was nominated in 1980, when he was appointed coach Guy Thys in the squad for the European Championship. At that time he was behind the older Theo Custers and Jean -Marie Pfaff but only the third goalkeeper. His last game for the Red Devils graduated Preud'homme in the second round of the World Cup 1994 in the 2:3 defeat against Germany.