Bernd Thijs

Bernd Thijs (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbɛr(ə)nˈtɛis]; born 28 June 1978 in Hasselt, Belgium) is a Belgian retired footballer who played as a midfielder.[1] His former clubs include Borussia Mönchengladbach, Standard Liège, Genk and Trabzonspor. Thijs played five times with Belgium and was in the team for the 2002 World Cup.

Bernd Thijs

Personal information
Date of birth	(1978-06-28) 28 June 1978
Place of birth	Hasselt, Belgium
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1995–2000	Standard Liège	102	(15)
2000–2004	Racing Genk	113	(35)
2004	Trabzonspor	11	(0)
2005–2007	Borussia Mönchengladbach	44	(0)
2007–2014	Gent	137	(27)
Total		407	(77)
National team
1993–1994	Belgium U16	4	(0)
1994	Belgium U17	1	(0)
1995–1996	Belgium U18	5	(1)
1995	Belgium U19	5	(0)
1999	Belgium U21	3	(0)
2002–2010	Belgium	6	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Thijs is well known because of his sober style, his ballhandling with both feet and his targeted long shots. He usually played as a defensive midfielder, but was also capable of playing one row further up front. Sometimes he was also posted (as an emergency solution) in defense. At Gent, he was the captain of the team.