Carl Hoefkens

Carl Hoefkens (born October 6, 1978 in Lier, Belgium) is a Belgium international footballer. He is currently playing as a defender for West Bromwich Albion and for Belgium national football team.

Club career

Career in Belgium

He started his career at K. Lierse S.K and played there for six years before taking a move to K.F.C. Lommel S.K. but his move turned into a nightmare, when Lommel went broke in 2003. In the summer of 2003, he came to K.F.C. Germinal Beerschot, the first class team of the Belgian city of 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 K.V., 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 the summer of 2005 Stoke City F.C. manager, Johan Boskamp snapped him up for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut for the club in a 0-0 draw against Sheffield Wednesday F.C. on 6 August 2005. Hoefkens became an ever-present in the Stoke line-up and wore the number 2 shirt.

Hoefkens received acclaim for his performances in his first season in English football. He became a fans favourite at Stoke and was crowned 'Fans' Player of the year (2005-06 in English football). He then won his 9th cap for his country against Kazakhstan national football team (0–0).

During the January 2007 transfer window he was linked with a return to Belgium, with Club Brugge K.V. reportedly interested in him. He was also Penalty kick taker for Stoke before the arrival of Danny Higginbotham, however he still maintained a 100% record for the club. Hoefkens impressed both manager and fans alike with his technical ability during the 2006-07 in English football. He was also praised for his versatility, as he operated as a Football (soccer) positions Winger (RW/LW) or a Football (soccer) positions Centre midfield (CM) on occasions in the latter stages of the season.

It was feared that Hoefkens had broken a bone in his foot in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Portugal national football team however a scan revealed that there was no damage.

West Bromwich Albion

Stoke accepted a bid which was originally believed to be in the region of £1 million for Hoefkens from West Bromwich Albion F.C. on August 4 2007. He joined Albion on August 7 2007 in a £750,000 deal and was offered a two-year contract plus a further one-year as an option. Hoefkens made his Albion debut in a 2-1 defeat away at Burnley on the opening day of the 2007-08 in English football season. One week later, Hoefkens was named in the Championship Team of the Week, following his performance in the 2-0 home win over Preston North End F.C.. He is known by his West Brom team mates as "Wolverine (comics)", due to his resemblance to the comic book hero from the X-Men.

International career

Hoefkens has played for his country eighteen times and has scored one goal. He also represented Belgium in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. Hoefkens wears the number 13 shirt for his country.

Personal life

Hoefkens has a son named Milan.