- Danny Boffin
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Danny Boffin Personal information Full name Daniel Edouward Boffin Date of birth 10 July 1965 Place of birth Sint-Truiden, Belgium Height 1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in) Playing position Winger Youth career Sint-Truiden Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1985–1987 Sint-Truiden 60 (8) 1987–1991 FC Liège 128 (8) 1991–1997 Anderlecht 187 (30) 1997–2001 Metz 109 (14) 2001–2003 Sint-Truiden 101 (24) 2004 Standard Liège 4 (0) National team 1989–2002 Belgium 53 (1) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).Daniel "Danny" Edouward Boffin (born 10 July 1965) is a retired Belgian footballer who played as a left winger.
During his professional career, which spanned nearly two decades, he played for four clubs in his country - most notably Anderlecht - and one in France, appearing in nearly 600 official games as a professional.
Boffin represented Belgium in three World Cups, the last of which occurred when he was 37.
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Club career
Born in Sint-Truiden, Boffin began playing professionally for local K. Sint-Truidense VV, then in the Belgian Second Division. After two solid years, he moved to the top level with R.F.C. de Liège, appearing in European competition with the club, and also being instrumental as it won its first-ever domestic cup, in 1990.
At the age of 26, after more than 150 official games for Liège, Boffin signed with national giants R.S.C. Anderlecht, continuing to be an undisputed starter in his career: in his first two seasons combined, he scored 13 goals, helping lead the Brussels side to three leagues in a row, as five managers were in charge of the team during his six-year spell. On 8 December 1993, he scored with his (weak) right foot to make it 3–0 at SV Werder Bremen for the season's UEFA Champions League, as the Germans incredibly recovered for the final 5–3.
Boffin moved abroad aged 32, as he signed with French side FC Metz, where he was dubbed La mobylette due to his speed. In his first season, which started on 2 August 1997, with a 1–0 win at Olympique Lyonnais, he helped his club to a best-ever finish in Ligue 1, a second place. In spite of his age, he continued to feature regularly for the Lorraine outfit.
In January 2001, Boffin returned to his first club, helping it always maintain its topflight status, while the player posted the best scoring records of his career, with 11 and 12 goals in two separate seasons; he split his final year, 2003–04, with Sint-Truiden and Standard Liège, and eventually called it quits at 39 years of age, with totals of - in the Belgian top level alone - 415 games and 67 goals (he still played some amateur football with VV Real Nieuwerkerken).
International career
Boffin played 53 matches for the Belgian national team,[1] his debut coming on 23 August 1989, in a 3–0 friendly win with Denmark.
In the following decade, Boffin would be an important offensive member for the Diables Rouges, being selected for three FIFA World Cups: 1994, 1998 and 2002 World Cups, totalling five matches (only a squad member in the latter edition).[2] Aged 35, he was overlooked for UEFA Euro 2000, played on home soil.
Honours
- Belgian League: 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95
- Belgian Cup: 1989–90, 1993–94; Runner-up 1996–97, 2002–03
- Belgian Supercup: 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995; Runner-up 1990
- French League Cup: Runner-up 1998–99
References
- ^ "Belgium - Record International Players". RSSSF. http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/belg-recintlp.html. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
- ^ Danny Boffin – FIFA competition record
External links
- Danny Boffin at National-Football-Teams.com
- Stats at L'Équipe (French)
Belgium squad – 1994 FIFA World Cup 1 Preud'homme • 2 Medved • 3 Borkelmans • 4 Albert • 5 Smidts • 6 Staelens • 7 Van der Elst • 8 Nilis • 9 Degryse • 10 Scifo • 11 Czerniatynski • 12 De Wilde • 13 Grün (c) • 14 De Wolf • 15 Emmers • 16 Boffin • 17 Weber • 18 Wilmots • 19 Van Meir • 20 Verlinden • 21 Van Der Heyden • 22 Renier • Coach: Van HimstBelgium squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup 1 De Wilde • 2 Crasson • 3 Staelens • 4 Vidović • 5 Borkelmans • 6 Van der Elst • 7 Wilmots • 8 Oliveira • 9 M. Mpenza • 10 Nilis • 11 Van Kerckhoven • 12 Vande Walle • 13 Verlinden • 14 Scifo(c) • 15 Clement • 16 De Boeck • 17 Verstraeten • 18 Verheyen • 19 Van Meir • 20 E. Mpenza • 21 Boffin • 22 Deflandre • Coach: LeekensBelgium squad – 2002 FIFA World Cup 1 De Vlieger • 2 Deflandre • 3 De Boeck • 4 Van Meir • 5 Van Kerckhoven • 6 Simons • 7 Wilmots (c) • 8 Goor • 9 Sonck • 10 Walem • 11 Verheyen • 12 Van Der Heyden • 13 Vandendriessche • 14 Vermant • 15 Peeters • 16 Van Buyten • 17 Englebert • 18 Vanderhaeghe • 19 Thijs • 20 Strupar • 21 Boffin • 22 Mpenza • 23 Herpoel • Coach: WaseigeCategories:- 1965 births
- Living people
- Belgian footballers
- Association football wingers
- Belgian Pro League players
- R.F.C. de Liège players
- R.S.C. Anderlecht players
- K. Sint-Truidense V.V. players
- Standard Liège players
- Ligue 1 players
- FC Metz players
- Belgium international footballers
- 1994 FIFA World Cup players
- 1998 FIFA World Cup players
- 2002 FIFA World Cup players
- Belgian expatriate footballers
- Expatriate footballers in France
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