Georges Leekens

Georges Leekens is a Belgian football coach and former defender. He is currently at the helm of Club Brugge in the Belgian Pro League.

Georges began his professional career at Dessel Sport in 1969 before moving to Crossing Club the following year. However, Leekens carved out a name for himself at Club Brugge where he played for nine years in between 1972 and 1981. In 1981, he joined Sint Niklase where played in defense for three years before retirement.

Leekens took up coaching at Cercle Brugge in 1984 and managed the team for three years before moving to the powerhouse Anderlecht for a season. After that he was in charge of several Belgian clubs such as Kortrijk, Club Brugge, KV Mechelen, Charleroi and a Turkish side Trabzonspor. Following the terrific two-year spell at Excelsior Mouscron in between 1995 and 1997, Leekens was offered to take charge of the Belgium national team. It was to his immense credit that the team reached the group stage of the 1998 FIFA World Cup but failed to qualify for the second round finishing third in the group after the Netherlands and Mexico. Leekens was invited to coach the national squad again in 2010 and helped the team to achieve much progress during the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. In May 2012, Georges Leekens took over reins at Club Brugge.