Carl Hoefkens new coach Club Brugge

Hoefkens was already an assistant under Schreuder. At the time, he already grew into an icon at Blauw-Zwart: he already played there between 2009 and 2013 and was captain. In 2018, he returned to assistant coach with the U18 and U21, and he also became Talent Coach. In that role he accompanied Charles De Ketelaere, Ignace Van der Brempt and Cisse Sandra to the A-team, among others. In the past three seasons, Hoefkens was an assistant to the A-team and thus laid the foundation for three national titles in a row. So now he moves on as T1, with assistance from Rik De Mil and Paul Okon. Hoefkens, De Mil and Okon sign a contract for an indefinite period.

“Man of the House”

“I don’t think I’m lying if I can call myself a man of the house,” Hoefkens says. “Just as I wanted to give the best of my ability as a player, talent coach and assistant, I also want to give my all as a trainer to contribute to the further expansion and success of Club Brugge. Together with the existing staff and new faces, we feel armed to meet this challenge.”

“Right man at right time”

“As far as we are concerned, Carl Hoefkens is the right man at the right time,” says Club Brugge CEO Vincent Mannaert. “Carl knows the Club like no other and has experience working within our structure. He is a passionate winner who has proven to make players, not just young ones, better.”

Rik De Mil (40) was Club NXT’s U23 coach and had already been seen on the Bruges bench in recent weeks. And with Paul Okon, another old acquaintance returns to Olympia. Okon played five seasons with Club in the 1990s and also won the Golden Shoe.