Marc Wilmots


Marc Robert Wilmots is a Belgian international former footballer who most recently managed the Iran national football team. During his club career as attacking midfielder, he won trophies with KV Mechelen, Standard Liège and Schalke 04.
He has also been a politician, having sat in the Senate for four years for the Mouvement Réformateur party.

Club career

In his club career, which started in 1987, Wilmots played for Sint-Truiden, Mechelen, Standard Liège, Schalke 04, and Bordeaux. At Schalke, he helped them to the 1997 UEFA Cup Final. His goal in the first leg was cancelled out by Internazionale in the second leg, but Schalke went on to win the game on penalties, with Wilmots scoring the decisive goal. He retired in 2003, after his second stint with Schalke. During his time with Schalke, the fans there gave him the affectionate nickname "Das Kampfschwein", which has been picked up by some English language journalists. In Belgium he is known under the nickname the Bull of Dongelberg, an allusion to his birthplace.

International career

For Belgium, Wilmots scored 28 goals in 70 caps, his first coming in May 1990. He went to four World Cups, playing in three. After being an unused substitute in 1990, he played 54 minutes in 1994 without scoring, but scored two goals in 1998 and three in 2002, making him Belgium's leading goal scorer in World Cup history. He also scored a goal against Brazil in the last 16 match of the 2002 World Cup which was disallowed because of a "phantom foul" on Roque Júnior. According to Wilmots, the referee Peter Prendergast apologized for the error to him at half time. Wilmots was named as one of the seven reserves in the 2002 World Cup All-Star Team.
Wilmots also played in Euro 2000, when Belgium co-hosted the tournament.

International goals

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.25 March 1992Parc des Princes, Paris3–23–3Friendly
2.22 April 1992Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels1–01–01994 World Cup qualifier
3.3 June 1992Svangaskarð, Toftir2–03–01994 World Cup qualifier
4.3 June 1992Svangaskarð, Toftir3–03–01994 World Cup qualifier
5.22 May 1993Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels1–03–01994 World Cup qualifier
6.22 May 1993Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels3–03–01994 World Cup qualifier
7.6 October 1993Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels1–12–1Friendly
8.6 October 1993Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels2–12–1Friendly
9.11 October 1997King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels3–03–21998 World Cup qualifier
10.25 March 1998King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels2–12–2Friendly
11.3 June 1998King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels2–02–0Friendly
12.20 June 1998Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux1–02–21998 World Cup
13.20 June 1998Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux2–02–21998 World Cup
14.18 August 1999Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges2–33–4Friendly
15.4 September 1999De Kuip, Rotterdam4–35–5Friendly
16.13 November 1999Stadio Via del Mare, Lecce2–13–1Friendly
17.3 June 2000Parken Stadium, Copenhagen2–22–2Friendly
18.7 October 2000Skonto Stadium, Riga1–04–02002 World Cup qualifier
19.28 February 2001King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels7–010–12002 World Cup qualifier
20.24 March 2001Hampden Park, Glasgow1–22–22002 World Cup qualifier
21.2 June 2001King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels1–03–12002 World Cup qualifier
22.6 June 2001Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle1–04–12002 World Cup qualifier
23.6 June 2001Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle4–14–12002 World Cup qualifier
24.14 November 2001Letna Stadium, Prague1–01–02002 World Cup qualifier
25.18 May 2002Stade de France, Saint-Denis2–12–1Friendly
26.4 June 2002Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama1–02–22002 World Cup
27.10 June 2002Ōita Big Eye Stadium, Ōita1–01–12002 World Cup
28.14 June 2002Shizuoka Ecopa Stadium, Shizuoka3–13–22002 World Cup

Managerial career

Wilmots became a football manager in summer 2004 for Sint-Truiden, but was sacked in February 2005. Between 2009 and 2012, he served as assistant manager of the Belgium national team under Dick Advocaat and later Georges Leekens. On 15 May 2012, following the exit of Leekens, Wilmots assumed the Belgium reins on an interim basis before going onto become permanent coach, signing a contract until June 2014.
On 11 October 2013, Belgium qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Wilmots is credited with "not only giving the young group confidence in themselves as well as enjoying a close relationship with his players but also at the same time being capable of instilling discipline to the squad." During the group stage, Belgium topped the group with all three wins, before exiting the tournament at the quarter-final stage.
On 13 October 2015, Belgium won the group to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2016 in the last game of the stage against Israel. After a disappointing European Championship, Wilmots was fired by the Royal Belgian Football Association on 15 July 2016.
In March 2017 Wilmots was appointed as the manager of Ivory Coast national team. However he was sacked from his position six months later after failing to qualify for the World Cup.
On 15 May 2019, Wilmots agreed a three years contract to become the manager of the Iranian national team, after Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz left the team after eight years in charge following Iran's semifinal exit in the Asian Cup. He officially signed his contract on 29 May, effective from 1 June 2019. On 4 December 2019, he resigned from his position as Iran coach.

Political career

After retiring as a footballer, Wilmots went into politics. He was elected to the Senate for the French-speaking conservative party, the Reformist Movement in the 2003 federal election. He received 79,437 votes, a number surpassed only by 17 other candidates in the whole country during the elections.
His political career is not considered very successful. In 2005, he announced that he wanted to resign as a senator, a rather unconventional and criticized constitutional move.

Career statistics

Club

International

Managerial

Honours

Player

;Mechelen
;Standard Liège
;Schalke 04
;Individual
;Individual