View source for Eric Van Meir

{{Short description|Belgian footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{family name hatnote|Van Meir|Meir|lang=Dutch}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Eric Van Meir
| image = Eric van meir-1453386567 (cropped).jpg
| fullname = 
| height = 1.95 m
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1968|2|28}}
| birth_place = [[Deurne, Belgium|Deurne]], Belgium
| currentclub = [[Belgium national under-19 football team|Belgium U-19]] (assistant)
| position = [[Defender (association football)|Defender]]
| youthyears1 = 
| youthclubs1 = 
| years1 = 1985–1991
| clubs1 = [[Berchem Sport|Berchem]]
| caps1 = 124
| goals1 = 9
| years2 = 1991–1996
| clubs2 = [[R. Charleroi S.C.|Charleroi]]
| caps2 = 115
| goals2 = 14
| years3 = 1996–2001
| clubs3 = [[Lierse S.K. (1906)|Lierse]]
| caps3 = 145
| goals3 = 57
| years4 = 2001–2003
| clubs4 = [[Standard Liège]]
| caps4 = 35
| goals4 = 2
| totalcaps = 419
| totalgoals = 82
| nationalyears1 = 1993–2002
| nationalteam1 = [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]]
| nationalcaps1 = 34
| nationalgoals1 = 1
| manageryears1 = 2003–2010
| managerclubs1 = [[Lierse S.K. (1906)|Lierse]] (assistant)
| manageryears2 = 2010–2011
| managerclubs2 = [[Lierse S.K. (1906)|Lierse]]
| manageryears3 = 2011
| managerclubs3 = [[K.V. Turnhout|Turnhout]]
| manageryears4 = 2013
| managerclubs4 = [[Lierse S.K. (1906)|Lierse]] (assistant)
| manageryears5 = 2013
| managerclubs5 = [[Lierse S.K. (1906)|Lierse]]
| manageryears6 = 2014
| managerclubs6 = [[K. Berchem Sport|Berchem]]
| manageryears7 = 2014–2015
| managerclubs7 = [[Lierse S.K. (1906)|Lierse]] (assistant)
| manageryears8 = 2015–2017
| managerclubs8 = [[Lierse S.K. (1906)|Lierse]]
| manageryears9 = 2020–
| managerclubs9 = [[Belgium national under-19 football team|Belgium U-19]] (assistant)
}}

'''Eric Van Meir''' ({{IPA|nl|ˈɛrɪk fɑ ˈmɛiər}};{{efn|In isolation, ''van'' is pronounced {{IPA|nl|vɑn|}}.}} born 28 February 1968) is a Belgian [[association football|football]] manager and former player who played as a [[defender (association football)|defender]].

His former clubs include [[Lierse S.K. (1906)|Lierse]], [[R. Charleroi S.C.|Charleroi]] and [[Standard Liège]]. Van Meir played for [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]] and was in the squad for the [[Football World Cup 1994|1994]], [[Football World Cup 1998|1998]] and [[Football World Cup 2002|2002 World Cups]] and also for the [[2000 European Football Championship|Euro 2000]] but played only a few matches.

Van Meir won the Belgian First Division Title with Lierse in 1997, and the Belgian Cup in 1999, also with Lierse. In 1997, he scored 17 goals and won second place in the Belgian Golden Shoe award.

==Club football==
Van Meir played in his career for [[Hoboken SK]], [[Berchem Sport]], [[Sporting Charleroi]], [[Lierse S.K. (1906)|Lierse SK]] and [[Standard Liège]], enjoying the most successful spell in his career at Lierse, winning the [[Belgian League]] in 1997, the [[Belgian Cup]] in 1999 and the [[Belgian Supercup]] in 1997 and 1999. He also finished second in 1997 in the Golden Boot voting behind Pär Zetterberg.

He also played several times in European club football, including the [[UEFA Champions League|Champions League]] in season 1997–98.

Meir scored exceptionally high for a defender. He was in top scorer for his club in 1997, 1998 and 2000.

At the 100-year anniversary of Lierse in 2006, Van Meir was elected by supporters as a player in the "Lierse team of the century".

==International career==
Van Meir played for the [[Belgium national football team|Belgium national team]] for almost ten years. He attended three World Cups (1994, 1998, 2002) and one European Championship (2000), but each time he only played a few matches. In total he won 35 caps for the national team.

==Coaching career==
Following his retirement as a player in 2003, Van Meir was appointed an assistant coach at [[Lierse S.K. (1906)|Lierse SK]]. Following the dismissal of [[Aimé Anthuenis]] in September 2010 in the club's first season back in the Belgian First Division, Van Meir took over as head coach of the club, assisted by [[Chris Janssens]], but was replaced in the beginning of 2011 by [[Trond Sollied]].

In March 2020, Van Meir was hired as an assistant manager for [[Belgium national under-19 football team|Belgium U-19]] under manager [[Wesley Sonck]].<ref>[https://www.rbfa.be/fr/nouvelles/jacky-mathijssen-nouvel-entraineur-federal-des-u21 JACKY MATHIJSSEN, NOUVEL ENTRAÎNEUR FÉDÉRAL DES U21], rbfa.be, 14 March 2020</ref>

==Honours==
'''Lierse'''<ref name="eurosport5">{{cite web|title=Palmares Belgische landstitels {{!}} De Morgen|url=https://www.demorgen.be/nieuws/palmares-belgische-landstitels~b9b01d01/}}</ref>
* [[Belgian League|Belgian First Division]]: [[1996–97 Belgian First Division|1996–97]]
* [[Belgian Cup]]: [[1998–99 Belgian Cup|1998–99]]
* [[Belgian Supercup]]: 1997, 1999

'''Belgium'''
* [[FIFA World Cup awards#FIFA Fair Play Trophy|FIFA Fair Play Trophy]]: [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002 World Cup]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=FIFA.com|title=Belgium honoured with the FIFA Fair Play Award|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/belgium-honoured-with-the-fifa-fair-play-award-82624|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111032351/https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/belgium-honoured-with-the-fifa-fair-play-award-82624|archive-date=11 November 2020|url-status=live|access-date=2020-11-07|website=www.fifa.com|language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{FIFA player}}
* {{UEFA player|25906}}
* {{RBFA player}}
* {{WorldFootball.net}}

{{Belgium Squad 1994 World Cup}}
{{Belgium Squad 1998 World Cup}}
{{Belgium Squad Euro 2000}}
{{Belgium Squad 2002 World Cup}}
{{Lierse S.K. managers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Meir, Eric}}
[[Category:1968 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Belgian men's footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football defenders]]
[[Category:People from Deurne, Belgium]]
[[Category:K. Berchem Sport players]]
[[Category:Lierse S.K. players]]
[[Category:Royal Charleroi S.C. players]]
[[Category:Standard Liège players]]
[[Category:Belgian Pro League players]]
[[Category:Belgium men's international footballers]]
[[Category:UEFA Euro 2000 players]]
[[Category:1994 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:1998 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:2002 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:Lierse S.K. managers]]
[[Category:Belgian football managers]]
[[Category:Footballers from Antwerp]]
[[Category:20th-century Belgian sportsmen]]