Carl Hoefkens

Early career

Born in Lier, Hoefkens started his career at Lierse and played there for six years. He made his breakthrough with Lierse in first division and won the Belgian Cup in 1999, beating Standard Liège in the final with 3–1. Afterwards, he made a move to Lommel but Lommel went bankrupt in 2003. In the summer of 2003, he came to Germinal Beerschot, a first division team in Antwerp. There, he became one of the pillars of the team. In his second season at Germinal Beerschot, he won the cup in the final against Club Brugge, then champions of Belgium. Hoefkens is still appreciated by Beerschot fans; a group of fans from the club have travelled to England on numerous occasions to watch him play.

Stoke City

In July 2005, Stoke City manager Johan Boskamp signed Hoefkens on a two-year contract, for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut for the club in a 0–0 draw against Sheffield Wednesday on 6 August 2005. Hoefkens became an ever-present in the Stoke line-up and wore the number 2 shirt. He was named 'Fans' Player of the year (2005–06). During the January 2007 transfer window, he was linked with a return to Belgium, with Club Brugge reportedly interested in him. He was also penalty taker for Stoke before the arrival of Danny Higginbotham; however, he still maintained a 100% record for the club. In the 2006–07 season, he operated as a winger or a central midfielder on occasions in the latter stages of the season.

West Bromwich Albion

Stoke accepted…

Hoefkens played 22 times for the Belgium national team, scoring once. He also represented Belgium in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. Hoefkens' one international goal came on 24 May 2006, in a friendly with Turkey in Genk. His last-minute goal secured a 3–3 draw. It was feared that Hoefkens had broken a bone in his foot in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Portugal in March 2007, however a scan revealed that there was no damage.

At the end of January 2018, Hoefkens was hired as a scout for Knokke. On 28 May 2018, it was confirmed that Hoefkens would return to Club Brugge from the upcoming season, where he would function as assistant coach and talent coach for the U21 and U18 teams. In June 2019, Hoefkens was placed in a new role as a part of the first team staff, where he would have the specific task of guiding young talents and provide the link between the academy and the first team. In May 2022, Hoefkens took over as head coach of Club Brugge, signing a contract with indefinite duration. In the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League, he led Club Brugge to the knockout phase for the first time in the Champions League era. On 28 December 2022, Club Brugge announced the termination of his contract. Hoefkens was named as manager of Standard Liège on 16 June 2023, on a three-year deal. He replaced Ronny Deila, who went to Brugge. Hoefkens named Yaya Touré as part of his coaching staff. Later that year, on 31 December, he was dismissed by the club due to disappointing results. Hoefkens was then announced as NAC Breda manager on the 6 June 2024 for the 2024–25 season in the Eredivisie, which was NAC's first season in the division since 2018–19.

Hoefkens married model Vanessa D'Hooghe in 2001.