Alex Querter Explained

Alex Querter
Birth Date:18 December 1957
Birth Place:Lokeren, Belgium
Years1:1977–1978
Caps1:6
Goals1:0
Years2:1987–1996
Caps2:113
Goals2:5
Years3:1996–1998
Caps3:301
Goals3:33
Totalcaps:420
Totalgoals:38
Manageryears1:1993–1999
Managerclubs1:Club Brugge (youth sector)
Manageryears2:1997–2000
Managerclubs2:Club Brugge (assistant)
Manageryears3:2002–2003
Manageryears4:2004–2007

Alex Querter (born 18 December 1957) is a former Belgian professional footballer who played as a sweeper. He is one of the players with most appearances for Club Brugge, for which he also scored 33 goals.

Club career

Querter was born in Lokeren, East Flanders. He started his career in the youth sector of the local Racing Lokeren. In 1970 the club merged with Standaard Lokeren and the name was changed to KSC Lokeren. In the mid-70s, he played with future Belgian writer and Hamme native Herman Brusselmans at Lokeren.[1] Querter made his debut for the first team at the age of 20. The club had a mediocre season, in which trainer Han Graynhout was fired and replaced by Leon Nollet. Lokeren finished the league thirteenth, with Querter only playing a few games. He then switched to Cercle Brugge.

Cercle Brugge

Cercle had finished penultimate and thus ended up in the Second Division. Querter was reunited in Bruges with the Dutch coach Graynhout. At Cercle, the defender became a teammate of Geert Broeckaert, Wietse Veenstra and Søren Skov, among others. Graynhout made him play regularly, placing him in the defense, and also employing in midfield. Cercle was crowned the league's champion at the end of the season and was allowed to return to the First Division after a one-year absence.

From then on, trainer Leo Canjels took over from his compatriot Graynhout. The club finished just above the relegation teams twice in a row. Querter had meanwhile become a permanent fixture in the team. He even became one of the crowd favorites. In 1982 he was voted Cercle Player of the Year by the supporters. But before receiving the trophy, Querter switched to arch-rival Club Brugge.[2]

Club Brugge

Querter's move was not appreciated by Cercle's supporters. Under the supervision of trainer Georg Kessler, his first trainer at Club Brugge,[3] Querter also became a fixed value at Club Brugge. When Henk Houwaart took over, he still remained a fundamental player of the team. Querter played a total 11 season with Club Brugge.

Querter was a teammate of Jan Ceulemans, Hugo Broos, Franky Van der Elst, Vital Borkelmans and Marc Degryse.[3] All of these players were called up to the Red Devils several times during their careers, but Querter, who was a libero at Club in those days, was never selected.

In 1986 Club captured the Belgian Cup, but failed to win a league title. In a season in which the defender played less often due to injury, Club Brugge was crowned champion. Two years later, Club became champion again, and two years later Querter and his teammates captured a third league title. In between, they also won another Belgian Cup.

The last years of Querter's career turned out to be the most successful. In 1993, the then 36-year-old footballer put an end to his professional career.

Trainer

Alex Querter retired from football in 1993. Immediately after the end of his career, he was hired as a youth coach at Club Brugge. From 1997 he started to combine that function with the task of assistant trainer.[4] First he became the assistant of Eric Gerets together with ex-teammate René Verheyen. After two seasons, Verheyen became Gerets' successor. Querter stopped as a youth coach, but remained an assistant coach.

After parting ways with the club in 2000 he became head coach himself and trained and .

Honours

Club

Cercle Brugge

1978–79Club Brugge

1987–88, 1989–90, 1991–92

1985–86, 1990–91

Individual

1981–82[5]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Brusselsman . Herman . Hij schreef te weinig boeken . 2017 . Prometheus, Uitgeverij . 9789044633764 .
  2. Web site: Vandewalle . Ludo . Statistieken liegen niet: waarom Club Brugge wel graag tegen Dortmund speelt . Het Nieuwsblad . 22 November 2021.
  3. Book: Vantomme . Sven . De club 125 verhalen over het clubgevoel . 2016 . Terra - Lannoo, Uitgeverij . 9789401438827 . 22 November 2021.
  4. Web site: De Voogt . Siebe . De Klimtoren neemt afscheid van zijn klusjesman: Alex Querter (61) gaat na 15 jaar met pensioen . Het Laatste Nieuws . 22 November 2021.
  5. Didn't retire the trophy due to his move to Club Brugge