Paul Van Himst

Under manager Pierre Sinibaldi, Paul Van Himst developed into a player who would be prominent in Belgian football for 15 years with his technique, insight into the game and precision 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. Following the example of Brazil, which had become world champions in 1958, 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 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 in 1962 at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, he scored the opening goal in a 3–3 draw, arousing the interest of Italian top club Modena. They made him an 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 and Real Madrid, in their search for a successor of Alfredo Di Stéfano. Despite Anderlecht making an early exit in the second round of the 1966–67 European Cup, Van Himst became top scorer of the tournament. His five goals in the match against Finnish side FC Haka is still…

At the age of 17, Van Himst made his debut for the Belgian national team on 19 October 1960 in a match against Sweden. 11 days later, he scored his first goal in a 2–1 home victory over Hungary. In 1964, Van Himst played in the Belgium–Netherlands match alongside 10 Anderlecht players after the substitution of goalkeeper Guy Delhasse by Jean-Marie Trappeniers. 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, 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—and the most capped player for his country between 1973 and 1989. Romelu Lukaku broke their record in November 2017.

Van Himst reunited with Anderlecht in 1982 when he started to manage the U-17 team. He was appointed head coach the following season, replacing Tomislav Ivić. In his debut season 1982–83, Anderlecht won the UEFA cup, 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 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, Van Himst was appointed as manager of the Belgian national team. He led the squad to the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where the team was eliminated by Germany in the round of 16. After Belgium didn't qualify for the Euro 1996, Van Himst was replaced by his assistant Wilfried Van Moer, and he quit professional football.

"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 said 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, both with Anderlecht and 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, Johan Devrindt or Jan Mulder.