Hugo Broos

Hugo Henri Broos (born 10 April 1952) is a Belgian professional former football player and manager.

Playing career He started his football career in his hometown Humbeek, playing for KFC Humbeek and was discovered at the early age of eighteen by a scout from RSC Anderlecht. For more than ten years he was their central defender and helped them win three European trophies, three national championships and four Belgian Cups. Between 1974 and 1986 he represented Belgium, gaining 24 caps and finishing fourth at the World Cup in Mexico in 1986. In 1983 Broos switched teams and started playing for Club Brugge. He played there for five seasons until season 1987–88. During this period he helped his team gain the Belgian Cup in 1986 and the championship in 1988. In 1988 Broos retired as a professional footballer.

In his career as a football player he won the Belgian Cup five times.

Managerial career From 1991 to 1998 Broos coached Club Brugge, winning the championship twice in 1992 and 1996. He also won the Belgian Cup in 1991, 1995 and 1996. From 2002 until 2005 he coached Anderlecht. He got the team into the Champions League and his team won the 2003–04 season championship. The following 2004–05 season was a turning point however, and the team were knocked out of the Champions League and the Belgian Cup. After a 0–0 result against Gent, Broos was fired for the first time in his career. Later that year in June, he became coach for KRC Genk and got back at his former team on 30 September by beating them 4–1. During the 2007–08 season Broos left Genk.

Broos won the prestigious Belgian Coach of the Year award four times in his career, twice while coaching Club Brugge (1992 and 1996), once with Anderlecht in 2004, and with KRC Genk in 2007. On 15 December 2008, Broos became coach of Greek club Panserraikos, and for the first time in his career, coached outside his home country. Panserraikos had a good campaign in Greek Cup, eliminating Panathinaikos in the quarter-finals but losing to AEK Athens in the semi-finals. Later in season Panserraikos couldn't avoid relegation. Broos left Panserraikos and became new coach of Trabzonspor on 22 June 2009 and was released on 22 November 2009. After that he was head coach of Zulte Waregem for half a season, before becoming assistant coach of Al Jazira Club.

He was sacked in 2012 and became manager of the national team of Cameroon. He led the team to victory in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. He took the role of sporting director of K.V. Oostende after being laid-off as Cameroon's coach in February 2018.

On 5 May 2021, he was appointed manager of the South Africa national team. He led South Africa to a third-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

On the opening day of the 2026 World Cup, Broos became the oldest coach to manage a World Cup team. However, merely five hours after South Africa's match ended, Miroslav Koubek broke the record by 222 days, and, less than three days later, the title was passed to Dick Advocaat of the Curaçao national team, who surpassed Koubek by roughly four years. He led South Africa to a 1–0 victory over South Korea in the third group-stage match, securing the country's first-ever qualification for the World Cup knockout phase as group runners-up. At 74 years and 75 days old, he became the oldest coach in FIFA World Cup history to win a match, surpassing the previous record held by Carlos Queiroz earlier in the tournament. Broos retired from coaching after the tournament.

Player statistics Managerial statistics

Honours Player Anderlecht Belgian First Division: 1971–72, 1973–74, 1980–81 Belgian Cup: 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76 Belgian League Cup: 1973, 1974 European Cup Winners' Cup: 1975–76, 1977–78; runner-up 1976–77 European Super Cup: 1976, 1978 UEFA Cup: 1982–83 Amsterdam Tournament: 1976 Tournoi de Paris: 1977 Jules Pappaert Cup: 1977, 1983 Belgian Sports Merit Award: 1978

Club Brugge Belgian First Division: 1987–88 Belgian Cup: 1985–86 Belgian Super Cup: 1986 Bruges Matins: 1984

Belgium FIFA World Cup fourth place: 1986

Manager RWD Molenbeek Belgian Second Division: 1989–90

Club Brugge

South Africa Africa Cup of Nations third place: 2023

Individual Belgian Professional Manager of the Year: 1991–92, 1995–96, 2003–04, 2006–07 Honorary Citizen of Jabbeke and Grimbergen: 2017