Belgian striker Sterchele killed in car crash
Belgian football is in mourning after Club Brugge's international striker Francois Sterchele was killed when his car hit a tree late on Wednesday night to Thursday morning. The 26-year-old was returning home from visiting friends in Antwerp when the accident happened.
It had been a fine season for Sterchele, who joined Club Brugge last summer from KFC Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen and scored eleven league goals, earning himself a full international debut just six weeks ago.
The Liege-born player made his way up through the Belgian divisions, playing for the likes of Chaleroi, whose general secretary, Pierre-Yves Hendrickx, paid tribute to the forward, who was the Belgian league's top scorer in 2006/07.
"François always shone," said Hendrickx. "Every morning he came to the club with a smile. We will miss that smile.
"He had a big heart. He was very nice and was prepared to help everyone. Everywhere he went, he enjoyed success - in the Eerste Klasse (First Division) as top scorer, with the Red Devils. He succeeded in everything. This is a huge blow to everyone."
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Posted by serina – 8 May 2008, 5:41 PM
This is truly a tragic story. Such a young man with all of his life ahead of him. I'm sure the Club will truly miss him and I wish his family and friends the best as they deal with this terrible event.
Posted by borisK – 8 May 2008, 5:26 PM
Its truly sad to see such a young player end before they really had the chance to make a name for themselves. By all accounts he had far to go and had just really got started. There is so much tragedy in sports and not always at the player's fault. He will be sadly missed.