Hugo Broos is a household name in Belgian and African football after winning many laurels in his homeland as a footballer and a coach before lifting the 2017 AFCON with Cameroon in Gabon.
Here, Ghana’s leading sporting site, Sportsworldghana.com coverage of the 2025 AFCON commences with some interesting facts about the veteran Belgian football brain.
- First coach to win a match in the group stage of the rebranded European Cup (UEFA Champions League)
The famous European Cup was rebranded and named the UEFA Champions League starting from the 1992-93 season. On November 25th 1992, history was made as the first group game of the UEFA Champions League was played with Nigeria’s Daniel Amokachi leading the attack for the Belgians. Hugo Broos was the manager for the Belgian side Club Brugge as they triumphed 1-0 with Daniel Amokachi’s 17th-minute strike making the difference against Russian opponent CSKA Moscow.
Milan also on that night smashed IFK Goteborg 4-0, with Van Basten scoring all four goals. Both games started at the same time but Club Brugge’s win over CSKA Moscow ended earlier than Milan’s tie making Hugo Broos the first manager to win a game in the UCL group stage.
Rangers and Marseille drew 2-2, Porto and PSV also drew 2-2 in that same night of the opening round of the season.
- Hugo Broos is the first Belgian coach to win a senior international competition
In 2017, Hugo Broos became the first Belgian tactician to win either the FIFA World Cup, European Championship, AFCON, Copa America, CONCACAF Gold Cup, Oceania Cup or Asian Cup. Hugo Broos’ Cameroon came from behind to beat Hector Cupper’s Egypt 2-1 to lift their 5th title and hence denied Egypt a record 8th. The late Guy Thys, who is considered the greatest Belgian manager of all time, took Belgium to the semi-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, where the Red Devils lost 2-0 to the eventual winners, Argentina, via the unstoppable Diego Maradona’s brace. The almighty Guy Thys who is much revered in Belgium did not win any major international competition in his illustrious coaching career. Broos has won many club titles as a manager having won 10 trophies in his native Belgium with RWD Molenbeek, Club Brugge and Anderlecht. As a footballer, he won 22 trophies including four Belgium league titles, four Belgium cups, Two European Super Cups, two European Cup Winner’s Cups, and One UEFA Cup among many trophies for Club Brugge and Anderlecht.
- Hugo Broos will be the oldest coach in the 2025 AFCON
Hugo Broos is 72 years old and will turn 73 in April 2025. The Belgian tactician is the oldest among all the 24 coaches set to do battle for the coveted AFCON 2025 trophy. He will be in his mid-73 years by the time the tournament kicks off in December 2024. The veteran tactician is probably the most experienced football brain going to the 2025 AFCON. German tactician Gernot Rhor of Benin will turn 72 in June 2025 while Zambia’s Avram Grant is 70. The German has much experience as a manager and can compete with Broos for the most experienced head coach in AFCON 2025 alongside 70-year-old Avram Grant of Zambia.
- Hugo Broos is very outspoken
The experienced Belgian tactician has made it clear that he is not among the cowards who always keep quiet and pretend even when things are not going well for them in a bid to keep their jobs. Broos has been involved in quarrels with many football hierarchies including the Cameroonian FA, South African FA and leaders of most of the clubs he has coached.
“Coaching Algeria was the worst mistake of my life. He said on Canal Plus. The mentality was not good. I coached two clubs and each time, it was a very bad experience, he said in an interview with BEIN Sports concerning his horrible stint in Algeria.
Broos is considered a globetrotter after coaching more than 10 clubs in Belgium, Greece, Turkey, UAE and Algeria. He coached Algerian clubs JSK in 2014 and NA Hussein Dey in the 2014-15 season. Hugo Broos described his stay in North Africa as the worst mistake in his entire life. He described working in Algeria as a bad decision.
In the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, Bafana Bafana was in Group K alongside minnows South Sudan, Congo and Uganda. Bafana Bafana had won two and drawn two in the four games played before the last two against Uganda in Kampala and South Sudan in Cape Town. The coach revealed in a press conference that he would resign if his side failed to beat South Sudan. South Africa beat Uganda 2-0 in Kampala and smashed South Sudan 3-0 to finish on top of the table.
“If we lose both games, five minutes after the game I’m on the flight to Belgium. You can be sure of it,” said Broos. “If we can’t win, okay Uganda [away is tough], but at home against South Sudan, I tell you I will immediately take a flight and you will never see me again.”
- Hugo Broos was the oldest of Belgium’s 1986 World Cup squad
Belgium’s best performance in the FIFA World Cup until 2018 was the semi-final berth in 1986. The Red Devils have remained minnows in international football since the commencement of the game but were superb in Mexico 86 led by head coach Guy Thys. Star players like Diego Armando Maradona (Argentina), Doctor Socrates (Brazil), Gary Lineker (England), Michel Platini (France), Lothar Matthaus (Germany), Zico (Brazil), Rabah Madjer (Algeria), Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany) and so many football’s imperial names competed in Mexico. However, there were also so many unknown names and one of them was Belgium’s 34-year-old defender named Hugo Broos. Broos was not a key player but was sent to provide the team with the needed experience and the calmness needed at that level. Belgium finished 4th after losing 4-2 to France in the third-place play-off.
South Africa’s head coach has seen it all and has what it takes to win the Bafana Bafana their second AFCON title since 1996.
