He was discovered as a junior at SK Retie Branddonk of Antwerp and made his name with Beringen FC.

He was signed by FC Bruges in 1973 where his reputation for non-stop runner in the midfield made him an international regular.

At 32 Cools left Bruges to join Beerschot where he enjoyed a new lease of life, becoming Captain of the national team.

At the 1980 European Championship in Italy Cools played in all four of Belgium's games including the Final where they lost to West Germany.

[1] In April 2008, he accepted an offer to become the Assistant coach of the Brunei national football team.