Wim Walschaerts (born 5 November 1972 in

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

) is a Belgian former professional

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 lea ...

who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

, mainly in Belgium but also in England for

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...

. He could also play as a right-sided wing-back.

Career

Walschaerts began his career in the youth ranks at

K. Beerschot V.A.C. Koninklijke Beerschot Voetbal en Atletiek Club, now K Beerschot VA was a Belgian football club from Antwerp. The club was founded in 1899 when most players of Antwerp left the club. It played in the 1920 Olympic Games Stadium named the "Kiel". ...

in the early 1990s before moving to Second Division club KFC Tielen in June 1996. When Tielen withdrew from the league due to financial problems, Walschaerts was signed by Leyton Orient manager

Tommy Taylor Thomas Taylor (29 January 1932 – 6 February 1958) was an English association football, footballer, who played as a Forward (association football), centre-forward and was known for his aerial ability. He was one of the eight Manchester United ...

under the

Bosman ruling ''Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman'' (1995) C-415/93 (known as the Bosman ruling) is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of associati ...

."Leyton Orient: The Complete Record", N Kaufman & A Ravenhill, Breedon Books, 2006 p. 258–9 Whilst at Orient, Walschaerts was a first-team regular and scored some important goals, including

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

goals against

Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...

and Kingstonian. He also won two fans' Player of the Year Awards in 1998–99. He missed all of Orient's three matches in the 1999 play-off campaign due to suspension, but played in the

2001 Football League Third Division play-off final The 2001 Football League Third Division play-off final was an association football match which was played on 26 May 2001 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, between Blackpool and Leyton Orient. It was to determine the fourth and final team to ...

, which Orient lost 4–2 to

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

. He was the subject of interest from

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...

, but remained committed to Orient until June 2001, when he signed for

KFC Strombeek Racing White Daring Molenbeek Brussels Football Club, often simply referred to as RWDM Brussels, F.C. Brussels or simply Brussels, was a Belgian professional association football club based in the municipality of Molenbeek, in the Brussels Capi ...

, again under the Bosman ruling. Walschaerts spent the rest of his career in his home country, playing with a number of Belgian sides before retiring in 2010.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walschaerts, Wim 1972 births Living people Belgian men's footballers Men's association football midfielders English Football League players Leyton Orient F.C. players S.K. Beveren players K. Beerschot V.A.C. players Expatriate men's footballers in England