Albert Antonia Gustaaf De Cleyn (28 June 1917 – 13 March 1990) was a Belgian football player who became the first top scorer of the Belgian First Division with 40 goals in 1946 while playing for Mechelen.[1]
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Albert Antonia Gustaaf De Cleyn | ||
| Date of birth | 28 June 1917 | ||
| Place of birth | Mechelen, Belgium | ||
| Date of death | 13 March 1990 (aged 72) | ||
| Place of death | Belgium | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1933–1955 | K.V. Mechelen | 488 | (377) |
| International career | |||
| 1946–1948 | Belgium | 12 | (9) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1955–1957 | K.V. Mechelen | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He played 12 times with the Belgium national team between 1946 and 1948. De Cleyn made his international debut on 19 January 1946 in a 2-0 friendly defeat to England.
According to the RSSSF, during his career (1933–1955) he scored a total of 428 top league goals, which is the 5th best tally in European top league football, being bettered only by the likes of Josef Bican, Ferenc Puskas, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.[2]
Honours edit
Club edit
KV Mechelen[3]
Individual edit
- Belgian First Division top scorer: 1941–42 (34 goals), 1945–46 (40 goals)
- Most goals in the Belgian First Division ever (377 goals)[4]
- Most goals in a Belgian First Division game (7 goals) in a 7-1 victory against Racing de Bruxelles
Note: De Cleyn scored 19 goals in the unofficial competition of 1940-41, and 25 goals in 17 games in the uncompleted 1944-45 season.
References edit
- ^ "Belgium – List of Topscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 13 April 2009. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
- ^ "Best League Goalscorers All-Time". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 5 May 2006. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "KV Mechelen | Geschiedenis".
- ^ "Belgium Soccer History 1895-2006". 30 December 2022. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011.
External links edit
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