Geert De Vlieger
| Date of birth | 16 October 1971 |
| Place of birth | Dendermonde |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Weight | 80 kg |
| Height | 1.86 m |
| Position | Goalkeeper |
De Vlieger was the only player to appear in every minute of Belgium's qualification for the 2002 World Cup finals.
He took over as the Red Devils' first-choice keeper following Euro 2000 when he took over from Filip de Wilde.
Originally with Beveren, who have a history of producing fine goalies, he moved to Anderlecht where he was also Filip's understudy.
He got his chance when De Wilde moved to Sporting Lisbon, but De Vlieger did not take kindly to be dropped when Filip returned from Portugal after a year, and decided to join Harelbeke on loan.
His subsequent return to the Brussels club saw him in such good form that he was linked to a move to England with Newcastle United.
The recall of De Wilde sparked his switch to Willem II.
De Vlieger joined Manchester City in July 2004 on a two-year contract.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beveren | 01 Jul 1989 | 01 Jul 1995 | |
| Anderlecht | 01 Jul 1995 | 01 Jan 2000 | |
| Harelbeke | 01 Aug 1998 | 31 May 1999 | L |
| Willem II | 01 Jan 2001 | 30 Jun 2004 | |
| Manchester City | 01 Jul 2004 | 30 Jun 2006 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Clean sheets | Conceded | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | Willem II | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | 31 | 7 | 43 |
1
|
1
|
|
| 2001-02 | Willem II | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | 18 | 30 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Clean sheets | Conceded | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-92 | Belgium | UEFA Under-21 | 3 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 1992-93 | Belgium | UEFA Under-21 | 5 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 1993-94 | Belgium | UEFA Under-21 | 1 | 3 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Belgium | Cyprus Tournament | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Belgium | International Friendly | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Belgium | Kirin Cup | 1 | |||||
| 1999-00 | Belgium | International Friendly | 2 | 2 |
1 | 2 | ||
| 2000-01 | Belgium | FIFA World Cup | 6 | 2 | 4 | |||
| 2000-01 | Belgium | International Friendly | 2 | 2 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Belgium | FIFA World Cup | 8 | 3 | 8 | |||
| 2001-02 | Belgium | International Friendly | 6 | 2 | 8 | |||
| 2002-03 | Belgium | International Friendly | 3 | 3 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Belgium | UEFA European Championship | 5 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 2003-04 | Belgium | International Friendly | 3 | 6 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Belgium | UEFA European Championship | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 2005-06 | Belgium | International Friendly | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Sep 1991 | Luxembourg v Belgium | W | 0-2 | UEFA U21 | Group |
| 19 Nov 1991 | Belgium v Germany | L | 0-3 | UEFA U21 | Group |
| 22 Apr 1992 | Belgium v Cyprus | W | 3-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 4 |
| 01 Sep 1992 | Czechoslovakia v Belgium | L | 1-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 4 |
| 13 Oct 1992 | Belgium v Romania | W | 1-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 4 |
| 17 Nov 1992 | Belgium v Wales | W | 3-1 | UEFA U21 | Group 4 |
| 13 Feb 1993 | Cyprus v Belgium | W | 0-1 | UEFA U21 | Group 2 |
| 30 Mar 1993 | Wales v Belgium | D | 0-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 4 |
| 12 Oct 1993 | Romania v Belgium | L | 3-1 | UEFA U21 | Group 4 |
| 05 Feb 1999 | Greece v Belgium | L | 1-0 | CYPRUS TOURNAMENT | Final |
| 09 Feb 1999 | Belgium v Czech Republic | L | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 03 Jun 1999 | Japan v Belgium | D | 0-0 | Kirin Cup | |
| 07 Sep 1999 | Belgium v Morocco | W | 4-0 | International Friendly | |
| 10 Oct 1999 | England v Belgium | L | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 26 Apr 2000 | Norway v Belgium | W | 0-2 | International Friendly | |
| 03 Jun 2000 | Denmark v Belgium | D | 2-2 | International Friendly | |
| 16 Aug 2000 | Bulgaria v Belgium | W | 1-3 | International Friendly | |
| 02 Sep 2000 | Belgium v Croatia | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 6 |
| 07 Oct 2000 | Latvia v Belgium | W | 0-4 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 6 |
| 28 Feb 2001 | Belgium v San Marino | W | 10-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 6 |
| 24 Mar 2001 | Scotland v Belgium | D | 2-2 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 6 |
| 25 Apr 2001 | Czech Republic v Belgium | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 02 Jun 2001 | Belgium v Latvia | W | 3-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 6 |
| 06 Jun 2001 | San Marino v Belgium | W | 1-4 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 6 |
| 15 Aug 2001 | Finland v Belgium | L | 4-1 | International Friendly | |
| 05 Sep 2001 | Belgium v Scotland | W | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 6 |
| 06 Oct 2001 | Croatia v Belgium | L | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 6 |
| 10 Nov 2001 | Belgium v Czech Republic | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe play-off |
| 14 Nov 2001 | Czech Republic v Belgium | W | 0-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe play-off |
| 13 Feb 2002 | Belgium v Norway | W | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 27 Mar 2002 | Greece v Belgium | L | 3-2 | International Friendly | |
| 14 May 2002 | Belgium v Algeria | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 18 May 2002 | France v Belgium | W | 1-2 | International Friendly | |
| 26 May 2002 | Belgium v Costa Rica | W | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 04 Jun 2002 | Japan v Belgium | D | 2-2 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group H |
| 10 Jun 2002 | Tunisia v Belgium | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group H |
| 14 Jun 2002 | Belgium v Russia | W | 3-2 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group H |
| 17 Jun 2002 | Brazil v Belgium | L | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals 2nd round |
| 21 Aug 2002 | Poland v Belgium | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 07 Sep 2002 | Belgium v Bulgaria | L | 0-2 | UEFA European Championship | Group 8 |
| 12 Oct 2002 | Andorra v Belgium | W | 0-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group 8 |
| 16 Oct 2002 | Estonia v Belgium | W | 0-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group 8 |
| 12 Feb 2003 | Algeria v Belgium | W | 1-3 | International Friendly | |
| 30 Apr 2003 | Belgium v Poland | W | 3-1 | International Friendly | |
| 07 Jun 2003 | Bulgaria v Belgium | D | 2-2 | UEFA European Championship | Group 8 |
| 11 Jun 2003 | Belgium v Andorra | W | 3-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 8 |
| 20 Aug 2003 | Belgium v Netherlands | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 10 Sep 2003 | Belgium v Croatia | W | 2-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group 8 |
| 11 Oct 2003 | Belgium v Estonia | W | 2-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 8 |
| 18 Feb 2004 | Belgium v France | L | 0-2 | International Friendly | |
| 28 Apr 2004 | Belgium v Turkey | L | 2-3 | International Friendly | |
| 01 Mar 2006 | Luxembourg v Belgium | W | 0-2 | International Friendly | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.