Dany Verlinden
Encyclopedia
Daniel 'Dany' Verlinden (born 15 August 1963 in Aarschot
, Flemish Brabant
) is a retired Belgian
footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Often referred to as De Muur (The wall), he played most of his career at Club Brugge, having played into his 40s.
in 1988, Verlinden gained first-choice status in his second year and, save for one season, never lost it again. He ranked the second most capped player for the club in the first division, trailing only Franky Van der Elst, and was instrumental in the side's five league conquests (with the addition of as many cups
and nine supercups
).
In December 2003, Verlinden became the oldest footballer ever to play in the UEFA Champions League
, aged 40 years and 116 days. Alessandro Costacurta
of A.C. Milan
took over the record on 21 November 2006, when the Italian
defender
played in a 0–1 group stage defeat at AEK Athens FC, aged 40 years and 211 days.
Verlinden, however, held the European record for longest time spent in goal without conceding, managing to keep a clean sheet a total of 1,390 minutes in the Belgium league, between 3 March and 26 September 1990.
After his footballing career, Verlinden remained with Club Brugge, as a goalkeeping coach. He played once for Belgium, and was called-up for the squad at the 1994
and 1998
FIFA World Cup
s.
Aarschot
Aarschot is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Aarschot proper and the towns of Gelrode, Langdorp and Rillaar. On January 1, 2006 Aarschot had a total population of 27,864...
, Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also completely surrounds the Brussels-Capital Region. Its capital is Leuven...
) is a retired Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Often referred to as De Muur (The wall), he played most of his career at Club Brugge, having played into his 40s.
Football career
Having arrived at Club Brugge K.V. from Lierse S.K.Lierse S.K.
Koninklijke Lierse Sportkring is a Belgian professional football club, from the city of Lier in the Antwerp province. Lierse has been playing in the Belgian Pro League since the 2010-11 season and they have already won the competition 4 times. They also have won 2 Belgian Cups...
in 1988, Verlinden gained first-choice status in his second year and, save for one season, never lost it again. He ranked the second most capped player for the club in the first division, trailing only Franky Van der Elst, and was instrumental in the side's five league conquests (with the addition of as many cups
Belgian Cup
The Belgian Cup is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Belgian Football Association. The first cup was held in 1911-12. The most successful cup club is Club Brugge KV with 10 titles followed by RSC Anderlecht and R Standard de Liège...
and nine supercups
Belgian Supercup
The Belgian Supercup is a Belgian club competition played on a single match at the league champion venue since 2004 and formerly at the Stade Roi Baudouin, between the winner of the last Belgian Pro League and that of the last Belgian Cup. If both teams are the same, the opponent is declared to...
).
In December 2003, Verlinden became the oldest footballer ever to play in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, aged 40 years and 116 days. Alessandro Costacurta
Alessandro Costacurta
Alessandro "Billy" Costacurta is an Italian former professional football defender turned manager.Costacurta spent some twenty years at Milan, with a brief period spent in AC Monza on loan. He is best known for his role alongside Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini and Mauro Tassotti, forming one of the...
of A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
took over the record on 21 November 2006, when the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
played in a 0–1 group stage defeat at AEK Athens FC, aged 40 years and 211 days.
Verlinden, however, held the European record for longest time spent in goal without conceding, managing to keep a clean sheet a total of 1,390 minutes in the Belgium league, between 3 March and 26 September 1990.
After his footballing career, Verlinden remained with Club Brugge, as a goalkeeping coach. He played once for Belgium, and was called-up for the squad at the 1994
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
and 1998
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s.