Lei Clijsters was born on 6 November 1956 in Opitter, started his football career with local Opitter FC. Later, he played for
Club Brugge KV, but left the club after a disappointing two-year stint; he started his career as a
midfielder. Subsequently, Clijsters represented
K.S.K. Tongeren,
K. Patro Maasmechelen,
K. Waterschei S.V. Thor Genk,
KV Mechelen and
R.F.C. de Liège. With Mechelen, he won the
Belgian Cup in 1987, going on to conquer
the subsequent UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and
European Super Cup. He added the
Belgian League in
1988–89, always as
club captain. In 1988, Clijsters also won the
Golden Shoe award as league's
MVP, and eventually retired with Liège at almost 37. Immediately, he starting working as a manager with former club Patro Eisden, then moving to
K.A.A. Gent,
K.F.C. Lommel S.K. (July–December 1998),
K. Tesamen Hogerop Diest (two spells, in 1999–2000 and November 2000 – June 2001) and Mechelen (July–November 2000). Clijsters was endorsed by
Diadora. Afterward, he managed the professional
tennis career of his daughter
Kim. After her retirement, "Lei" became coach of
third division club Tongeren, with which he had also played, in October 2007. He resigned in January 2008, after his family announced that he was suffering from a serious illness. Details were kept secret, but in February the Belgian press reported it to be
metastatic melanoma and that treatment was not working. ==International career==