Luc Gilbert Cyrille Nilis (born 25 May 1967) is a Belgian professional football manager and former player who is the striker coach of Patro Eisden.

He spent most of his career in his native Belgium and, in particular, in the Netherlands with PSV. His playing days came to an end in the 2000–01 season after breaking his leg in a match with his club Aston Villa following a clash with Ipswich Town goalkeeper Richard Wright.

Club career

His former clubs include Winterslag, Anderlecht, PSV and Aston Villa.

Early years

As youth player, Nilis was regarded as Winterslag's greatest talent. Standard, Club Brugge and PSV Eindhoven showed interest in the stylish attacker, but under the influence of Raymond Goethals, Nilis was transferred to Anderlecht at the age of 18.

Anderlecht

Forming a duo with players such as Luís Oliveira or Marc Degryse, he would win several national prizes in the next seasons. Although he was not considered as a very quick football player, his scoring ability and excellent striking technique stood out. Long, placed distance shots with both left and right feet became his hallmark.

PSV Eindhoven

Having left Anderlecht for Eindhoven in 1994, Nilis topped the Dutch scoring charts in the 1995–96 season, plundering 21 goals. He continued that form into 1996–97 – leading the pack by December 1996 with 13 – before matching his previous total, in a season that ended with PSV winning the league title for the first time in five years. In late 1997, Nilis scored thrice in three games over a fifteen-day period, all against Shay Given; with a goal at Newcastle United in the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League group stage coming in between goals for Belgium against the Republic of Ireland. During his time with PSV, Nilis formed one of the deadliest partnerships in Europe with team-mate Ruud van Nistelrooy, who signed for PSV in 1998. In the 1998–99 season, Nilis and van Nistelrooy scored 55 league goals between them. Van Nistelrooy finished as top-scorer, Nilis came second. In the following season, Nilis' last for PSV, they scored 48 league goals between them.

Aston Villa

After six years in the Netherlands, Nilis joined Aston Villa on a Bosman transfer in June 2000. Nilis' Villa career started well, as he scored on his debut in the UEFA Intertoto Cup against Dukla Příbram on 22 July 2000 before going on to score on his league debut against Chelsea on 27 August 2000. In a league match against Ipswich Town on 9 September 2000, Nilis was involved in a clash with goalkeeper Richard Wright that left him with a double compound fracture of his right shin. At one point, the injury became infected and Nilis even feared a possible amputation. This hypothesis was later ruled out, although his playing career was effectively ended.

International career

Nilis played 56 times for the Belgium national team, scoring ten times. A prolific goalscorer with his clubs, he scored his first goal for Belgium only on his 24th cap (a 9–0 win against Zambia).

Nilis played in the FIFA World Cups in 1994 and 1998. Qualification for the latter was sealed with Nilis' goals in each leg of Belgium's playoff against the Republic of Ireland. Nilis dropped out of international football after the 1998 Finals, reportedly in response to an "unhealthy atmosphere within the squad and their lack of achievement". However, with control of the Belgian national side having changed, Nilis returned to the international fold in November 1999, in time for Euro 2000, co-hosted by his birth-country Belgium and the Netherlands.

Coaching career

After his playing career ended, Beringen-Heusden-Zolder were his next port of call, becoming technical director in 2005, not long before the club's liquidation after financial difficulties. Nilis took a job with PSV, first as a scout, and then training the club's forwards. In January 2011, Nilis became assistant manager with Turkish club Kasımpaşa, followed by another assistant manager stint with Gençlerbirliği, also in Turkey. In April 2015, he was re-hired by PSV as a striker coach.

In August 2021, Nilis became the head coach of Belgian Division 2 club Belisia Bilzen, which had been founded earlier that year from a merger between Spouwen-Mopertingen and Bilzerse Waltwilder. It was his first assignment as head coach. In the round of 16 of the Belgian Cup, Belisia were drawn against Gent. At the end of October 2021, they lost that cup match 4–0. In addition to his position as manager of Belisia Bilzen, Nilis was also hired as striker coach at the Talent Academy of Genk on 10 March 2022.

In 2023, he was appointed striker coach of Patro Eisden.

Personal life

Nilis's father, Roger (1938–2011), played as a professional footballer in Belgium in the 1960s. His son Arne was a youth player for Genk and PSV Eindhoven but was unable to pursue a professional career, mainly due to injuries and a gambling addiction.

Legacy

Ronaldo names Nilis as the best strike partner he played with, despite sharing only a brief time with him at PSV. Ruud van Nistelrooy has also stated on several occasions that the Belgian was one of the best players, if not the best, he had ever played with.

Despite the lack of a major international career, the technically skilled attacker is still praised by football fans and journalists in the low countries. In 2020, he was named in the "Best squad of all time", of both Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Winterslag1984–85Belgian Second Division225———225
1985–86Belgian Second Division2511———2511
Total4716———4716
Anderlecht1986–87Belgian First Division165—31—196
1987–88Belgian First Division3214—61—3815
1988–89Belgian First Division3319—40—3719
1989–90Belgian First Division279—94—3613
1990–91Belgian First Division3019—63—3622
1991–92Belgian First Division2715—963621
1992–93Belgian First Division2819—64—3423
1993–94Belgian First Division3024—973931
Total223124—5226275150
PSV1994–95Eredivisie301210—21—3313
1995–96Eredivisie312155—85—4431
1996–97Eredivisie262123—42103326
1997–98Eredivisie241333—51—3217
1998–99Eredivisie272441—50—3625
1999–2000Eredivisie261910—72—3421
Total1641101612—311110212133
Aston Villa2000–01Premier League31000021—52
Career total437251161200853810539301

International

Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nilis goal.

List of international goals scored by Luc Nilis
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
14 June 1994Heysel Stadium, Brussels, BelgiumZambia5–09–0Friendly
28 August 1994Heysel Stadium, Brussels, BelgiumHungary3–13–1Friendly
37 October 1995Hrazdan Stadium, Yerevan, ArmeniaArmenia1–02–0UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
42–0
59 October 1996Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San MarinoSan Marino2–03–0FIFA World Cup 1998 qualifying
63–0
729 October 1997Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Republic of IrelandIreland1–11–1FIFA World Cup 1998 qualifying
815 November 1997King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, BelgiumIreland2–12–1FIFA World Cup 1998 qualifying
922 April 1998King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, BelgiumRomania1–11–1Friendly
1025 June 1998Parc des Princes, Paris, FranceSouth Korea1–01–1FIFA World Cup 1998

Honours

Anderlecht

PSV

Individual

External links