Stijn Stijnen

Stijn Stijnen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈstɛin ˈstɛinə(n)]; born 7 April 1981) is a Belgian professional football coach and a former player who manages Patro Eisden Maasmechelen.

A goalkeeper, he played in 189 Belgian Pro League games during thirteen seasons, mainly with Club Brugge with which he won nine major titles, including two national championships.

However, his big breakthrough came in the 2005–06 season, when he replaced the injured Butina several times; some strong performances (including the UEFA Champions League 2–1 home loss to Juventus in the group stage)[1] made him the undisputed first-choice onwards.

In the 2006–07 campaign, Stijnen was between the posts as Brugge won the Belgian Cup 1–0 against Standard Liège, but the club only finished sixth in the domestic league.

[2] Belgium manager René Vandereycken noticed Stijnen's performances at club level, and handed him his debut in a friendly against Saudi Arabia on 11 May 2006.