Thomas Buffel
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox football biography
Thomas Buffel ({{#invoke:IPA|main}};Template:Efn born 19 February 1981) is a Belgian professional football coach and a former player who played as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is the manager of Jong Genk in Challenger Pro League. He represented the Belgium national team at international level.
Club careerEdit
Early careerEdit
Buffel began his career with Belgian sides Daring Ruddervoorde and Cercle Brugge before making a move to the Netherlands.
Buffel played for the Dutch team Feyenoord in the 1999–2000 season, before moving to their feeder team Excelsior Rotterdam from 2000 to 2002. He returned to Feyenoord for the 2002–03 Eredivisie season. He reportedly fell out with then-manager Ruud Gullit in the next season "after refusing to sign a new contract".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
RangersEdit
Buffel moved to the Scottish side Rangers in January 2005 in a £2.3 million, four-and-a-half-year deal.<ref name="Rangers transfer">Template:Cite news</ref> He made his debut in the Scottish Cup coming on as a substitute against Old Firm rivals Celtic in what was to be a 2–1 defeat.<ref name="Celtic 2-1 Rangers ">Template:Cite news</ref> However, the season did not end badly for him as he was to play a key role in the 2005 Scottish League Cup Final, where Rangers defeated Motherwell 5–1.<ref name="Rangers 5-1 Motherwell ">Template:Cite news</ref> He also featured in the Rangers team for the latter part of the season where he would help them to their 51st league title<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> making it a double for his first season with the club. Buffel scored five goals in 18 appearances in all competitions.<ref name=sb2005-06>Template:Soccerbase season</ref><ref name="fitba2006-07">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Buffel featured in the Champions League and helped Rangers reach the last 16 of the tournament, where they lost to Villarreal 3–3 on aggregate and were knocked out on away goals rule. Across all competitions, he scored seven goals in 38 appearances during the 2005–2006 season<ref name="fitba2006-07"/> mostly playing in the midfield.Template:Citation needed
In the 2007 January transfer window, German club Hannover 96 expressed an interest in him, with Rangers manager Walter Smith saying Buffel was free to leave. However, the deal fell through when Buffel was unable to agree personal terms with the Bundesliga side.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was announced on 9 February 2007 that Buffel would undergo surgery on a long-term knee injury and would not take any further part in the 2006–07 season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He returned to action on 26 September as a substitute in a Scottish League Cup tie against East Fife.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He would go on to make just five appearances in all competitions in his final season at Rangers.<ref>Template:Soccerbase season</ref>
Cercle BruggeEdit
Buffel's Rangers career came to an end when he joined former club Cercle Brugge on 1 July 2008.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
GenkEdit
In the 2009 summer transfer window Buffel made a last-minute transfer to KRC Genk as part of a deal between Genk and Cercle Brugge with Jelle Vossen (on loan) and Hans Cornelis moving the opposite way.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In the 2010–11 season he won the Belgian league title with Genk.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
His contract was not renewed at the end of the 2017–18 season.<ref name="zulte">Template:Cite news</ref>
Zulte WaregemEdit
In June 2018, it was announced Buffel would continue his career at Zulte Waregem.<ref name="zulte"/>
Buffel retired at the end of the 2018–19 season.<ref>Afscheid van Thomas Buffel zal hem nog lang heugen: compleet bestickerde auto, bloem en rode haarkleur, gva.be, 16 May 2019</ref>
International careerEdit
Buffel made his debut for Belgium against Andorra in October 2002 in what was to be a 1–0 victory.<ref name="Andorra 0-1 Belgium">Template:Cite news</ref> He has since then gained 35 caps and scored 7 goals.
Coaching careerEdit
Buffel began his coaching career in September 2019, when he was appointed assistant manager to Jacky Mathijssen at the Belgium national U-19 team.<ref>Thomas Buffel nouvel adjoint de l'équipe nationale U19, sportmagazine.levif.be, 9 September 2019</ref> In March 2020, Buffel and Mathijssen was promoted to the U-21 national team.<ref>JACKY MATHIJSSEN, NOUVEL ENTRAÎNEUR FÉDÉRAL DES U21, rbfa.be, 14 March 2020</ref>
On 3 February 2021, Buffel was also hired as an assistant manager for former club Cercle Brugge under newly appointed manager Yves Vanderhaeghe, next to his job at the national team.<ref>Officieel: Yves Vanderhaeghe is de nieuwe trainer van Cercle Brugge, Thomas Buffel wordt assistent, voetbalkrant.com, 3 February 2020</ref> However, on 5 October 2021, Buffel decided to leave the position, as he was going to start his Pro License course and he therefore no longer could combine his two jobs.<ref>Cercle Brugge neemt afscheid van assistent-coach Thomas Buffel, sporza.be, 5 October 2021</ref>
On 18 June 2024, Buffel was hired as head coach of Jong Genk, the reserve team of Genk that plays in the second-tier Challenger Pro League.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Personal lifeEdit
Buffel was married to Stephanie De Buysser, with whom he had twin sons born in November 2013. They married in June 2016, when De Buysser was already suffering from colon cancer. On 26 January 2017, De Buysser died.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Career statisticsEdit
ClubEdit
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | Template:Tooltip | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| Excelsior (loan) | 2000–01 | Eerste Divisie | 31 | 12 | — | — | 31 | 12 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||||
| 2001–02 | 32 | 15 | — | — | 32 | 15 | <ref name="wf"/> | |||||||
| Total | 63 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 27 | – | |||
| Feyenoord | 2002–03 | Eredivisie | 31 | 18 | 7 | 0 | 1Template:Efn | 0 | 39 | 18 | <ref name="wf"/> | |||
| 2003–04 | 34 | 15 | 4 | 2 | — | 38 | 17 | <ref name="wf"/> | ||||||
| 2004–05 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | 21 | 2 | <ref name="wf"/> | ||||||
| Total | 80 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 98 | 37 | – | |||
| Rangers | 2004–05 | Scottish Premier League | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5Template:Efn | 3 | 15 | 4 | <ref name="wf"/> | |||
| 2005–06 | 24 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 5Template:Efn | 0 | 36 | 5 | <ref name="wf"/> | |||||
| 2006–07 | 16 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 4 | <ref name="wf"/> | |||||
| 2007–08 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | <ref name="wf"/> | |||
| Total | 51 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 76 | 13 | – | |||
| Cercle Brugge | 2008–09 | Belgian First Division | 30 | 3 | — | — | 30 | 3 | <ref name="wf"/> | |||||
| 2009–10 | Belgian Pro League | 5 | 2 | – | — | 2 | 5 | <ref name="wf"/> | ||||||
| Total | 35 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 5 | – | |||
| Genk | 2009–10 | Belgian Pro League | 25 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 9Template:Efn | 3 | 36 | 7 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
| 2010–11 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7Template:Efn | 0 | 37 | 1 | <ref name="wf"/><ref name="sw"/> | |||
| 2011–12 | 26 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 8Template:Efn | 0 | 44 | 9 | <ref name="wf"/><ref name="sw"/> | |||
| 2012–13 | 29 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 10Template:Efn | 0 | 55 | 7 | <ref name="wf"/><ref name="sw"/> | |||
| 2013–14 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 10Template:Efn | 3 | 46 | 7 | <ref name="wf"/><ref name="sw"/> | |||
| 2014–15 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6Template:Efn | 3 | 35 | 6 | <ref name="wf"/><ref name="sw"/> | |||
| 2015–16 | 28 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12Template:Efn | 3 | 44 | 10 | <ref name="wf"/><ref name="sw"/> | |||
| 2016–17 | Belgian First Division A | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 4 | 10Template:Efn | 2 | 50 | 8 | <ref name="wf"/><ref name="sw"/> | ||
| 2017–18 | 26 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9Template:Efn | 0 | 41 | 4 | <ref name="wf"/><ref name="sw"/> | |||
| Total | 235 | 34 | 24 | 3 | 48 | 8 | 81 | 14 | 388 | 59 | – | |||
| Cercle Brugge | 2018–19 | Belgian First Division A | 18 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 21 | 4 | <ref name="wf"/> | ||
| Career total | 482 | 113 | 27 | 3 | 79 | 12 | 93 | 17 | 681 | 145 | – | |||
InternationalEdit
- Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Buffel goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 April 2003 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | Template:Fb | 2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 11 October 2003 | Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège, Belgium | Template:Fb | 2–0 | 2–0 | Euro 2004 Qualification |
| 3 | 18 August 2004 | Ullevaal, Oslo, Norway | Template:Fb | 1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 4 | 2–1 | |||||
| 5 | 26 March 2005 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | Template:Fb | 4–1 | 4–1 | 2006 World Cup Qualification |
| 6 | 7 September 2005 | Olympisch Stadion, Antwerp, Belgium | Template:Fb | 3–0 | 8–0 | 2006 World Cup Qualification |
HonoursEdit
Rangers<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Genk<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Individual
- Pro League Hall of Fame: 2024<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Challenger Pro League managers Template:Belgian Sportsperson of the Year