Paul Van Himst
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Paul Guillaume van Himst (born 2 October 1943) is a Belgian former
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player and a
football manager ''Football Manager'', also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008, is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game beg ...
who played as a
forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...
, most notably for
R.S.C. Anderlecht Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, commonly abbreviated to RSC Anderlecht (, , ) or RSCA (, , ), is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht, Brussels Capital-Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian First Division A and is the mos ...
. Regarded as Anderlecht's ultimate club icon, Van Himst holds the record of four
Belgian Golden Shoe In association football, the Belgian Golden Shoe (, , German: ''Goldener Schuh'') is an award given in Belgium at the beginning of each civil year to the best footballer of the Belgian Pro League for the past year. The trophy is sponsored by the B ...
awards and was named best "Belgian footballer of the twentieth century".


Early years

Van Himst was introduced to Anderlecht as a child because his father, who was an ardent fan of
Jef Mermans Josephus Antoon Louisa "Jef" Mermans (16 February 1922 in Merksem – 20 January 1996 in Essen, Belgium, Wildert), nicknamed "The Bomber", was a Association football, football Striker (association football), striker from Belgium, who played much ...
, rarely missed a home match and regularly took his three children to the Émile Versé Stadium. The young Van Himst himself started to play football in a neighborhood of
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw Sint-Pieters-Leeuw (; , ) is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium. The municipality comprises the towns of Oudenaken, Ruisbroek, Sint-Laureins-Berchem, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw proper and Vlezenbeek. Si ...
and on the playground of the Sint-Niklaas Institute where national coach Bill Gormlie took care of the children. He was fully noticed when he went to the training fields of the Anderlecht youth complex with his cousin. Van Himst was able to keep a ball in the air for several minutes, which made such an impression on chairman Constant Vanden Stock that he promptly had the boy sign a membership card. But given Van Himst was barely eight, the connection only became official two years later. In the youth series, Van Himst was always allowed to compete with older teammates.


Club career

Under manager
Pierre Sinibaldi Pierre Sinibaldi (29 February 1924 – 24 January 2012) was a French football player, who played as a striker. His career as manager spanned a quarter of a century. In the 1960s and again in the early 1970s, he coached R.S.C. Anderlecht with wh ...
, Paul Van Himst developed into a very refined player who would dominate Belgian football for 15 years with his exceptional technique, insight into the game and precise passing. About two months after his 16th birthday, Van Himst made his debut in the first team. In December 1959, the young striker was able to make his mark on the Beringen pitch with a promising performance. Following the example of Brazil, which had become world champions in
1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...
, Sinibaldi had Anderlecht play in a 4-2-4 system. In that formation, Van Himst became one of the most important pawns on the field. With his excellent technique and nose for goals, he became a standout at Anderlecht as a teenager. In the 1961–62 season, Paul Van Himst won his first trophy with Anderlecht, the national championship. On his European debut against
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
in 1962 at the
Santiago Bernabéu stadium Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (, ) is a retractable roof association football, football stadium in Madrid, Spain. With a seating capacity of around 83,000 following its extensive renovation completed in late 2024, the stadium has the second-largest ...
, he scored the opening goal in a 3–3 draw, immediately arousing the interest of Italian topclub
Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...
. They made him an attractive offer, including his brother in the deal, but Anderlecht did not let its rising star leave. At the time, in addition to football, Van Himst also represented the fuel company of chairman Albert Roossens The club would later also reject proposals from teams like
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
and Real Madrid, in their search for a successor of
Alfredo Di Stéfano Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé (; 4 July 1926 – 7 July 2014) was an Argentine professional footballer and coach who played as a forward, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. Nicknamed "Saeta Rubia" ("Blond A ...
. Despite Anderlecht an early exit in the second round of the
1966–67 European Cup The 1966–67 European Cup was the 12th season of the European Cup, UEFA's premier club football tournament. The competition was won by Celtic for the first time, when they beat Inter Milan 2–1 in the final at the Estádio Nacional, Lisbon, ...
, Van Himst became top scorer of the tournament. His five goals in the match against Finish side
FC Haka FC Haka, originally ''Valkeakosken Haka'', commonly known as Haka, is a Finnish professional football club based in the industrial town of Valkeakoski. The club was founded in 1934 and competes in Finland's premier division, the Veikkausliiga. ...
is still a (shared) record in a single European game. Anderlecht reached the final of the
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, most commonly referred to as the Fairs Cup and sometimes as the European Fairs Cup or Fairs Cities' Cup, was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The Fairs Cup was the idea of FIFA vice-presid ...
(considered as the predecessor to the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
) in the 1969–70 season, but lost it to Arsenal F.C. Van Himst became top scorer of the tournament with 10 goals. The lost final was a disappointment sportively and marked the end of the Sinibaldi era. Most players retired or left Anderlecht, but Van Himst was one of the few to stay. In a new team that relied on young players such as
Hugo Broos Hugo Henri Broos (born 10 April 1952) is a Belgian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former Football player, player. He is currently the manager of the South Africa national soccer team, Sout ...
,
Ludo Coeck Ludo Coeck (25 September 1955 – 9 October 1985) was a Belgian footballer who played as left winger or central midfielder. His clubs included Berchem Sport, Anderlecht, Inter Milan and Ascoli Calcio. First capped for the Belgium national ...
,
Gilbert Van Binst Gilbert Van Binst (5 July 1951 – 3 January 2025) was a Belgian footballer who played as a defender. Club career Van Binst played for over a decade for Anderlecht, beginning his professional career with the club in 1968. He won numerous domes ...
and
François Van der Elst François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; ...
, he was still important with all his experience. Van Himst remained the leader on the field despite the generational change that had taken place. With Anderlecht, Paul Van Himst would win the Belgian championship eight times. He scored 309 goals in 566 matches during 16 seasons. Van Himst became the Belgian First Division's top scorer three times in 1963–64, 1965–66 and 1967–68. Van Himst was nicknamed ''Polle Gazon'' by Belgian football fans (''Polle'' is Paul in
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
dialect, and ''Gazon'' means lawn in
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
and
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
) as he frequently lay on the field due to the large number of fouls committed on him. Later, the nickname ''Le Pelé blanc'' (the white Pelé) was introduced by French newspaper
L'Équipe ''L'Équipe'' (, French for "the team") is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of association football, rugby, motorsport, and cycling. Its predecessor, '' ...
after a convincing performance with Belgium in Paris against
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. After he left Anderlecht, he played for RWDM, another Brussels club, in 1975–76 and for
Eendracht Aalst SC Eendracht Aalst is a Belgian football club based in Aalst, East Flanders. The club currently play in Belgian Division 2 where they are the defending champions in their region. History During World War I, citizens from Aalst played footbal ...
(then in the
second division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
) in the following season. Two surgeries took their toll: neither at RWDM nor at Aalst Van Himst reached the same level as before.


International career

At the age of 17, Paul Van Himst made his debut for the
Belgian national team The Belgium national football team has represented Belgium in men's international football since their maiden match in 1904. The squad is under the global jurisdiction of FIFA and is governed in Europe by UEFA—both of which were co-founded ...
on 19 October 1960 in a match against
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
. 11 days later, he scored his first goal in a 2–1 home victory over
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
. In 1964, Van Himst played in the Belgium–
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
match alongside 10 Anderlecht players after the substitution of goalkeeper
Guy Delhasse Guy Delhasse (19 February 1933 – 27 January 2025) was a Belgian footballer who played as a goalkeeper for RFC Liège Royal Football Club de Liège (more commonly known as RFC Liège) is a professional football club based in Liège, capit ...
by
Jean-Marie Trappeniers Jean-Marie Trappeniers (13 January 1942 – 2 November 2016) was a Belgian association football, football goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. He played for R.S.C. Anderlecht, Anderlecht and Belgium national football team, Belgium. In ...
. Van Himst was part of Belgium's team which qualified for the 1970 World Cup. At the Euro 1972, organized in his home country, Van Himst helped the ''Red Devils'' to reach the third place. Between 1960 and 1974, Paul Van Himst scored 30 goals (in 81 matches) for the Belgian national team. This performance made him Belgium's second top scorer—along with
Bernard Voorhoof Bernard Voorhoof (10 May 1910 – 18 February 1974) was a Belgian footballer, who held the title of the Belgium national team's top scorer for 34 years, netting 30 goals in 61 matches. In 1972, he was joined by Paul Van Himst, who took 81 match ...
—and the most capped player for his country between 1973 and 1989.


Farewell match

In 1975, aged 31, Paul Van Himst decided to leave Anderlecht. In a farewell match organized in the Anderlecht stadion, the then Anderlecht squad faced a "world team". Rinus Michiels coached 18 international stars, including
Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...
,
Eusébio Eusébio da Silva Ferreira (; 25 January 1942 – 5 January 2014), nicknamed the "Black Panther", the "Black Pearl" or "O Rei" ("The King"), was a Portuguese Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Stri ...
,
Johan Cruyff Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016), internationally known as Johan Cruyff (), was a Dutch professional Association football, football player and Manager (association football), manager. Regarded as one of the greatest ...
,
Gianni Rivera Giovanni "Gianni" Rivera (; born 18 August 1943) is an Italian politician and former association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Dubbed Italy's "Golden Boy" by the media, he played the majority of his club career wi ...
,
José Altafini José João Altafini (; born 24 July 1938), also known as "Mazzola" in Brazil, is an Italian-Brazilian former association football, footballer, who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Although, he began his career with Sociedade ...
, Amancio,
Jairzinho Jair Ventura Filho (born 25 December 1944), better known as Jairzinho (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer. A quick, skillful, and powerful right winger known for his finishing ability and eye for goal, he was a key member and leadi ...
and
Willem Van Hanegem Willem "Wim" van Hanegem (; born 20 February 1944) is a Dutch former Association football, football player and coach who played as a midfielder. In a playing career spanning over 20 years, he won several domestic honours in the Netherlands, as ...
.


Managerial career

Van Himst reunited with Anderlecht in 1982 when he started to manage the U-17 team. He did such a good job that he was appointed head coach the following season, replacing
Tomislav Ivić Tomislav Ivić (; 30 June 1933 – 24 June 2011) was a Croatian professional football player and manager. Often described as a brilliant strategist, Ivić is credited with helping develop the modern style of the game. In April 2007, Italian spor ...
. In his debut season 1982–83, Anderlecht won the
UEFA cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
, after winning 2–1 on aggregate against Benfica, with Van Himst winning a European trophy after all. The following season, Anderlecht reached the UEFA cup final again, but lost it to
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
after a penalty shootout. In 1985, Van Himst guided Anderlecht to the league title, finishing 11 points ahead of nearest title-contenders Club Brugge. They also won the Super Cup in 1985, defeating Cercle Brugge 2–1. However, on 31 December 1985, Anderlecht and Van Himst parted ways. And, as he did as a player, Van Himst continued his managerial career at RWD Molenbeek. In 1991, Paul Van Himst was appointed as manager of the Belgian national team. He led the squad to the
1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States w ...
, where the team was eliminated by Germany in the round of 16. After Belgium didn't qualify for the
Euro 1996 The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 ...
, Van Himst was replaced by his assistant
Wilfried Van Moer Wilfried van Moer (1 March 1945 – 24 August 2021) was a Belgian association football, footballer who won the Belgian Golden Shoe three times, first in 1966 while at R. Antwerp F.C., Antwerp then in 1969 and in 1970 while at Standard Liège. ...
, and he quitted from professional football.


Style of play

"The hallmark of Paul Van Himst was obviously his technique, but he was also physically very strong. Van Himst was really solidly built. That combination made him a quite unique player." reporter Frank Raes mentioned in 2023. "And of course that light-footedness made everyone enjoy. The use of the outside of the foot for passing, dribbling ánd shooting was remarkable. He was so skilled in dribbling. As an opponent you just couldn't get the ball." Van Himst preferred to "slalom" between opponents, but never lost the overview of the game when doing so. He also liked to operate from the left, where he could regularly put in splitting actions with his friend
Wilfried Puis Wilfried Puis (18 February 1943 – 21 October 1981) was a Belgian footballer who played as a striker, notably for Anderlecht and the Belgium national team. Puis was praised for his speed, agility and goal kicks which made him and Paul Van Hi ...
, as well with Anderlecht as with the Belgian national team. Van Himst scored easily, but could also let others score. He performed best with more physical strikers such as
Jacky Stockman Jacques "Jacky" Stockman (8 October 1938 – 4 May 2013) was a Belgian football player who played as a striker. He played most of his career for R.S.C. Anderlecht and was selected 32 times for Belgium. Club career Stockman started with the ...
,
Johan Devrindt Johannes "Johan" Devrindt (born 14 April 1945) is a Belgian retired footballer who played as a forward. Club career Devrindt played for Anderlecht, Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven, Club Brugge, Lokeren, Winterslag and La Louviere before hanging up ...
or Jan Mulder.


Personal life

Paul Van Himst has three children (one son and two daughters) and five grandchildren. In 1990, Van Himst took over the ''Brésor'' coffee roasting company. But after he was contacted to become national coach in 1991, his son Frank became manager of the company. From the moment the contract ended in 1996, the family man concentrated definitively on his coffee company, with his son keeping his position. His wife Arlette Neckebroeck died on 4 December 2013. Also in his later life, the link with Anderlecht kept present. For more than forty years, Van Himst is close friends with cycling legend
Eddy Merckx Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (born 17 June 1945), known as Eddy Merckx (, ), is a Belgian former professional road and track cyclist racer who is the most successful rider in the history of competitive cycling. His victories include an ...
. Both are regularly spotted together at Anderlecht's home games. And in 2022, his grandson Amando Lapage signed a professional contract with the club.


Filmography

*''
Escape to Victory ''Escape to Victory'' (or simply ''Victory'') is a 1981 sports war film directed by John Huston and starring Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, Max von Sydow and Pelé. The film is about Allied prisoners of war who are interned in a German ...
'' (1981) - Michel Fileu *''Max'' (1994) - Himself


Career statistics


Club

''Note:'' Appearances and goals in
Belgian League Cup The Belgian League Cup was a Belgian association football cup created in 1973. The competition was held from 1973 by eleven clubs wanting to increase professionalism in Belgian football but lasted only three seasons before being disbanded. The tourn ...
are not taken into account.


International


Honours and awards

Van Himst holds the record of most Golden Shoe awards, having won it on four occasions. There could have been a few more in fact, but at a certain point the organizers decided that one could not win the Shoe more than once. A few years later, that decision was reverted with Van Himst winning a fourth award in 1974. In November 2003, to celebrate
UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
's Jubilee, he was named the Golden Player of Belgium by the
Belgian Football Association The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA; ; ; ) is the governing body of football in Belgium. It was a founding member of FIFA in 1904 and UEFA in 1954 and was based in Brussels, not far from the King Baudouin Stadium. Since October 2021, the ...
as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. He has been an ambassador for the Belgian/South-African
NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
"Born In Africa" since 2005. In 2009, Paul Van Himst became honorary citizen of
Dilbeek Dilbeek () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Dilbeek proper, Groot-Bijgaarden, Itterbeek (with Sint-A ...
. Decades after retiring from professional football, Van Himst is still consistently mentioned in both Anderlecht and Belgium's "Best Team Ever" and "Best Players" lists. To celebrate the 80th birthday of their club icon, Van Himst was extensively honored for the competition match of Anderlecht against Mechelen on 7 October 2023. For the occasion, the team played in a complete white "limited edition" shirts, stylized like the ones of the Van Himst era.


Player

Anderlecht *
Belgian First Division The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023– ...
: 1961–62, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1971–72, 1973–74 *
Belgian Cup The Belgian Cup (; ; ) is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Royal Belgian FA. The competition started in 1908 with provincial selections as the "Belgian Provinces Cup". Starting from 1912 only actual clubs were allowed ...
: 1964–65, 1971–72,
1972–73 Year 197 ( CXCVII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magius and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 950 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 197 for this y ...
, 1974–75 *
Belgian League Cup The Belgian League Cup was a Belgian association football cup created in 1973. The competition was held from 1973 by eleven clubs wanting to increase professionalism in Belgian football but lasted only three seasons before being disbanded. The tourn ...
: 1973, 1974 * Tournoi de Paris: 1964, 1966 *
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, most commonly referred to as the Fairs Cup and sometimes as the European Fairs Cup or Fairs Cities' Cup, was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The Fairs Cup was the idea of FIFA vice-presid ...
runner-up: 1969–70 National team *
UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro or Euros, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition ...
third place:
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
Individual *
Belgian Golden Shoe In association football, the Belgian Golden Shoe (, , German: ''Goldener Schuh'') is an award given in Belgium at the beginning of each civil year to the best footballer of the Belgian Pro League for the past year. The trophy is sponsored by the B ...
: 1960, 1961, 1965, 1974 * Belgian First Division top scorer: 1963–64 (26 goals), 1965–66 (25 goals), 1967–68 (20 goals) *
Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual association football, football award presented by French magazine ''France Football'' since 1956 Ballon d'Or, 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season. Conceived ...
:
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
(5th place),
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
(4th place) * Ballon d'Or nominations:
1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...
,
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
,
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
,
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
*
1966 FIFA World Cup qualification The 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the five FIFA confederations. The 1966 FIFA World Cup featured 16 teams with one place reserved for the host nation, England, and one reserved for defending champions B ...
: Group 1 top scorer (5 goals) *
1966–67 European Cup The 1966–67 European Cup was the 12th season of the European Cup, UEFA's premier club football tournament. The competition was won by Celtic for the first time, when they beat Inter Milan 2–1 in the final at the Estádio Nacional, Lisbon, ...
: top scorer (6 goals) * L' Equipe European Oscar: 1967 * 1969–70 Inter-Cities Fair Cup: top scorer (10 goals) * Man of the Season (Belgian First Division) (nl): 1970–71 * L' Equipe Oscar of the Oscars: 1971 * Former Belgium's Most Capped Player: 1973–1989 (81 caps) *
Belgian National Sports Merit Award The Belgian National Sports Merit Award is an annual award handed out to a Belgian sportsperson or -team for exceptional merit. Players can only win the award once during their career, making this trophy one of the most prestigious in Belgian sport ...
: 1974 * Super Gouden Schoen: 1991 * Belgian Footballer of the 20th Century (nl): 1995 * Planète Foot's 50 of the World's Best Players: 1996 *
IFFHS The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...
European Player of the Century (39th): 2000 * Platina 11 (nl) - Best Team in 50 Years of Golden Shoe Winners: 2003 * UEFA Golden Player Award: 2003 *
Bronze Zinneke The Bronze Zinneke is an award handed out by the cabinet of the Brussels Region to individuals, personalities, organisations, or companies that perform a role as informal ambassador of the Brussels Region or otherwise add to the positive image of ...
award: 2006 * Honorary Citizen of
Dilbeek Dilbeek () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Dilbeek proper, Groot-Bijgaarden, Itterbeek (with Sint-A ...
: 2009 * The Best Golden Shoe Team Ever: 2011 * Honorary member of the Belgian trainers association BFC Pro: 2012 * DH The Best RSC Anderlecht Team Ever: 2020 *
IFFHS The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...
All Time Belgium Dream Team: 2021


Manager

Anderlecht * Belgian First Division: 1984–85 *
Belgian Super Cup The Belgian Super Cup ( ; ; ), ''Pro League Supercup'', is a Belgian club competition played as a single match between the Belgian Pro League champions (also received the Super Cup host) and the Belgian Cup winners. If both teams are the same, ...
: 1985 *
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
: 1982–83; runner-up: 1983–84 *
Jules Pappaert Cup Trophy Jules Pappaert or Pappaert cup is a Belgian football trophy since 1953 and is awarded annually to a club in the first, second or third division of the Belgian Pro League with the longest uninterrupted series of unbeaten games. The award is ...
: 1985 Individual * Belgian Professional Manager of the Year: 1982–83


Books

* ''Paul van Himst - Op Gouden Schoenen'' by Charles Baete and Vic Vermeir in 1971, De Schorpioen, 288 p. (Dutch, French) * ''Monsieur Football'' by Charles Baete, Vic Vermeir and Camille Fichefet in 1971, Editions Arts et Voyages, 111 p. (French) * ''Voetbal'' by Paul van Himst and Jacques Hereng in 1975,
Standaard Uitgeverij Standaard Uitgeverij is a Belgian publisher, and the leading publisher in the Dutch language market of Flanders. History In 1919, the Standaard group was created, mainly consisting of a chain of bookshops (Standaard Boekhandel), a newspaper (''De ...
, 198 p. (Dutch) * ''Paul van Himst over voetbal'' by Jacques Hereng and Carlos De Veene in 1985,
Standaard Uitgeverij Standaard Uitgeverij is a Belgian publisher, and the leading publisher in the Dutch language market of Flanders. History In 1919, the Standaard group was created, mainly consisting of a chain of bookshops (Standaard Boekhandel), a newspaper (''De ...
135 p. (Dutch) * ''Over Mezelf'' by Paul van Himst in 2009, Borgerhoff & Lamberigts, 256 p. (Dutch, French) * ''Confidenties van Paul Van Himst'' by Luc Pire in 2010, Renaissance du Livre, 191 p. (Dutch, French)


See also

*
List of UEFA Cup winning managers A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...


References


External links


CV



Born In Africa – Ambassador of the NGO

– Belgium still bow to Van Himst – By Berend Scholten on UEFA.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Himst, Paul 1943 births Living people 1970 FIFA World Cup players 1994 FIFA World Cup managers Belgian football managers Belgian Pro League players Belgium men's international footballers Belgium national football team managers Footballers from Flemish Brabant People from Sint-Pieters-Leeuw R.W.D. Molenbeek (1909) managers R.W.D. Molenbeek (1909) players R.S.C. Anderlecht managers R.S.C. Anderlecht players S.C. Eendracht Aalst players UEFA Champions League top scorers UEFA Europa League–winning managers UEFA Euro 1972 players UEFA Golden Players Men's association football forwards Belgian men's footballers 20th-century Belgian sportsmen