Rik De Saedeleer (17 January 1924 – 3 March 2013) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the form of a short ess ...

and television sports commentator.

Playing career

De Saedeleer played the majority of his career at hometown club

Racing Mechelen K.R.C. Mechelen is a Belgian association football club from Mechelen in the Antwerp province. It is a long-time rival of KV Mechelen. The club's best position ever is a second place in the first division 1951–52. KRC Mechelen also reached t ...

with whom he was runner-up in the

1951–52 Belgian First Division Statistics of Belgian First Division in the 1951–52 season. Overview It was contested by 16 teams, and R.F.C. de Liège "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march ...

and was once called up for the Belgium national team for a 1949 friendly match against a squad made up of London-based professionals.

Media career

After retiring as a player, De Saedeleer wanted to be a football coach but instead became columnist at

Het Laatste Nieuws ''Het Laatste Nieuws'' (; in English ''The Latest News'') is a Dutch-language newspaper based in Antwerp, Belgium. It was founded by Julius Hoste Sr. on 7 June 1888. It is now part of DPG Media, and is the most popular newspaper in Flanders an ...

and Belgium's best known football commentator, reporting from several World Cups. He was known for his emotional and humorous reports. He retired after the

1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for th ...

in France. He died on 3 March 2013 after spending most of his final years in hospital. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.Rik De Saedeleer overleden
- Het Laatste Nieuws

Bibliography

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References

External links

Kort portret Rik De Saedeleer (bio)
- Het Laatste Nieuws {{DEFAULTSORT:De Saedeleer, Rik 1924 births 2013 deaths Footballers from Mechelen Men's association football midfielders Belgian men's footballers K.R.C. Mechelen players Association football commentators Belgian columnists Belgian sports broadcasters