Marc Degryse


Marc Gabriel Degryse, nicknamed Le Lutin d'Ardooie and The Little One, is a Belgian retired professional footballer who played as a forward.
In a 19-year professional career he played mainly for Club Brugge and Anderlecht, making his senior debuts at 17 and scoring nearly 200 official goals both clubs combined to win a total of ten major titles. He also competed briefly in England for Sheffield Wednesday.
A Belgium international for 12 years, Degryse represented the nation in two World Cups.

Club career

Born in Roeselare, West Flanders, Degryse played with equal success in the Belgian Pro League with giants Club Brugge and Anderlecht, moving to the latter in 1989 for a then-record €2.25 million and proceeding to win five national championships combined, three in a row.
He moved for £1.5 million to Sheffield Wednesday in the 1995 summer, but left after just one season as an important unit in helping the English club's eventual escape from relegation, after a 15th-place finish. During his time in South Yorkshire, he and teammate Orlando Trustfull had a cameo role in Sheffield-based film The Full Monty, but the scenes did not make the final cut.
In the following two campaigns Degryse played in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven, where he often struggled with injuries. He retired in 2002 at the age of nearly 37, after spells back in his country with K.A.A. Gent and Germinal Beerschot, having played 540 professional matches and scored 209 goals.
Degryse returned to Club Brugge as a technical director the following year, before he eventually resigned due to bad results in late January 2007, alongside longtime former teammate, coach Franky Van der Elst.

International career

On the international level, Degryse played 63 matches with the Belgium national team and scored 23 goals. He was summoned for the squads at two FIFA World Cups: 1990 and 1994, netting twice in seven games.
Degryse's debut came just one day after his 19th birthday, in a friendly with Argentina.

Career statistics

Club

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
111 November 1987Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium2–03–0Euro 1988 qualifying
219 January 1988Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel1–03–2Friendly
329 April 1989Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium1–02–11990 World Cup qualification
429 April 1989Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium2–12–11990 World Cup qualification
58 June 1989Terry Fox, Ottawa, Canada2–02–0Friendly
623 August 1989Olympiastadion, Bruges, Belgium1–03–0Friendly
711 October 1989St. Jakob, Basel, Switzerland1–12–21990 World Cup qualification
82 June 1990Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium1–03–0Friendly
92 June 1990Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium2–03–0Friendly
1012 June 1990Marcantonio Bentegodi, Verona, Italy1–02–01990 FIFA World Cup
1127 March 1991Constant Vanden Stock, Brussels, Belgium1–01–1Euro 1992 qualifying
1211 September 1991Neie Stadium, Luxembourg, Luxembourg2–02–0Euro 1992 qualifying
1318 November 1992Constant Vanden Stock, Brussels, Belgium2–02–01994 World Cup qualification
144 June 1994Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium3–09–0Friendly
154 June 1994Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium4–09–0Friendly
164 June 1994Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium8–09–0Friendly
178 June 1994Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium2–03–1Friendly
1819 June 1994Citrus Bowl, Orlando, United States1–01–01994 World Cup
197 September 1994Constant Vanden Stock, Brussels, Belgium2–02–0Euro 1996 qualifying
2012 October 1994Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark1–01–3Euro 1996 qualifying
2117 December 1994Constant Vanden Stock, Brussels, Belgium1–01–4Euro 1996 qualifying
2229 March 1995Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain1–11–1Euro 1996 qualifying
2331 August 1996King Baudouin, Brussels, Belgium1–02–11998 World Cup qualification

Honours

Club Brugge
  • Belgian First Division: 1987–88
  • Belgian Cup: 1985–86
  • Belgian Super Cup: 1986
  • Bruges Matins: 1984
Anderlecht
PSV
Individual
  • Man of the Season : 1987–88, 2000–01
  • Belgian Golden Shoe: 1991
  • Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year: 1987–88, 1989–90, 1994–95, 1999–2000
  • Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Player of the Year: 1995–96
  • Belgian Fair Play Award: 2000–01, 2001–02
  • Goal of the Season: 2000
  • Golden Shoe Lifetime Achievement Award: 2001
  • Platina Eleven