Philippe Clement

Philippe Clement
	Clement as coach of Club Brugge in 2019
Personal information
Date of birth	22 March 1974
Place of birth	Antwerp, Belgium
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Rangers (manager)
Senior career*
Years	Team
1992–1995	Beerschot
1995–1998	Genk
1998–1999	Coventry City
1999–2009	Club Brugge
2009–2011	Germinal Beerschot
Total
International career
1998–2007	Belgium
Managerial career
2012	Club Brugge (interim)
2013	Club Brugge (interim)
2017	Waasland-Beveren
2017–2019	Genk
2019–2022	Club Brugge
2022–2023	Monaco
2023–	Rangers
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Philippe Clement (born 22 March 1974) is a Belgian professional football manager and former player who currently manages Scottish Premiership club Rangers.

He began his professional career at Belgian clubs Beerschot and Genk between 1992 and 1998, thereafter he joined Coventry City in England for one season. Clement then spent ten seasons at Club Brugge, between 1999 and 2009, where he played 333 matches. At the international level, Clement won 38 caps for the Belgian national team between 1998 and 2007 and scored one goal.

As a manager, Clement led Genk and Club Brugge to Belgian Pro League titles over three consecutive seasons. Abroad, he managed Monaco in Ligue 1 and Rangers in the Scottish Premiership, winning a Scottish League Cup.

Playing career

Born in Antwerp, Clement played as a defensive midfielder for Beerschot, Genk, Coventry City and Club Brugge. Aged 35, at the end of his contract, he returned to his hometown in June 2009 and joined Germinal Beerschot.

Clement played 38 times with Belgium national team, and was in the team for the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, missing the 2002 World Cup through a hamstring injury. His debut was as a substitute in a 2–2 friendly draw with Norway on 25 March 1998, and his only goal on 7 June 2003 was in a 2–2 draw with Bulgaria in Euro 2004 qualification.

Coaching career

Assistant and interim manager of Club Brugge

At the end of his playing career in the summer of 2011, Clement became head of Club Brugge's U21s. Aimé Anthuenis, his coach at Genk in 1998–99 and one of his mentors, recalled: "At Genk as well as with the [national team], I noticed that he was predisposed for the job. He was interested, asked questions, gave his opinion, behaved like a leader and had a great sense of teamwork."

For the 2012–13 season, Clement became assistant coach of the first team. In November 2012, he had his first experience as a manager on a professional bench and took over on an interim basis for two games between the dismissal of Georges Leekens and the appointment of Juan Carlos Garrido. His debut as a senior manager on 8 November was a 2–2 home draw with Newcastle United in the UEFA Europa League group stage, and three days later lost 6–1 at leaders Anderlecht in the league.

Clement then became Garrido's assistant. In September 2013, he took over as interim coach following the Spaniard's dismissal and then remained assistant to Michel Preud'homme, until the end of the 2016–17 season. Brugge won three titles (Belgian Cup 2015, then Championship and Super Cup in 2016), four runners-up and a third place in the Pro League during Clement's stay.

Beveren and Genk

On 24 May 2017, Clement was hired on a three-year deal for his first job as a permanent head coach, at Waasland-Beveren. In December that year, he moved to Genk, where he had previously played. He guided his team to the 2018 Belgian Cup final which they lost 1–0 to Standard Liège; he blamed the referee for allegedly allowing the other team to waste time with trivial injuries. The 2017–18 season ended with Europa League qualification after a 2–0 playoff win over Zulte Waregem and the team made the last 32 in the continental tournament before losing 4–1 at home to Slavia Prague; his side won the league in 2018–19.

Return to Brugge

In May 2019, Clement returned to Brugge on a three-year deal. His team lost the 2020 Belgian Cup final by a single goal to Royal Antwerp, and made the last 32 in the Europa League before a 6–1 elimination by Manchester United. He won the league title in his first two seasons, and was subsequently given a contract of indefinite length. On 17 July 2021, he won the Belgian Super Cup 3–2 against Genk in the Jan Breydel Stadium.

AS Monaco

On 3 January 2022, Clement left Club Brugge after three seasons and joined Monaco of the French Ligue 1 as head coach, following the departure of Niko Kovač. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract until June 2024. His debut six days later was a goalless draw at Nantes. He lifted the team from 6th place to 3rd in what remained of his first season, including a run of nine consecutive victories. In the space of two weeks in March, his team were eliminated from the Coupe de France semi-finals on penalties after a 2–2 draw again at Nantes, and from the last 16 of the Europa League by Braga.

Clement's team came 6th and missed out on Europe in 2022–23, leading to his dismissal. Monaco were eliminated from the third round of the domestic cup by Ligue 2 club Rodez on penalties at the Stade Louis II, and by Bayer Leverkusen on the same method in the Europa League play-in round.

Rangers

Clement was appointed as manager of Scottish Premiership club Rangers on 15 October 2023, succeeding Michael Beale, who was sacked after less than eleven months in post, and interim manager Steven Davis. He signed a deal until the summer of 2027.

On his debut on 21 October, Clement's team won 4–0 at home to Hibernian. He won the Scottish League Cup on 17 December with a single goal by James Tavernier in the final against Aberdeen, also taking his unbeaten run to 14 games in all competitions. His run ended at 16 games on 30 December, with a 2–1 loss at Celtic in the Old Firm game.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			Cup		Europe		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Genk	1995–96	Belgian First Division	33	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	33	1
	1996–97	Belgian First Division	23	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	23	0
	1997–98	Belgian First Division	30	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	30	2
	Total		86	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	86	3
Coventry City	1998–99	Premier League	12	0	2	0	0	0	2	0	16	0
Club Brugge	1999–2000	Belgian First Division	31	4	0	0	2	0	0	0	33	4
	2000–01	Belgian First Division	16	4	0	0	1	0	0	0	17	4
	2001–02	Belgian First Division	32	6	1	0	8	1	0	0	41	7
	2002–03	Belgian First Division	29	5	1	0	10	0	0	0	40	5
	2003–04	Belgian First Division	31	4	2	0	12	0	0	0	45	4
	2004–05	Belgian First Division	24	4	8	1	9	1	0	0	41	6
	2005–06	Belgian First Division	22	4	0	0	7	0	0	0	29	4
	2006–07	Belgian First Division	29	2	1	0	6	1	0	0	36	3
	2007–08	Belgian First Division	13	2	1	0	2	1	0	0	16	3
	2008–09	Belgian First Division	22	3	1	1	5	1	0	0	28	5
	Total		256	38	15	2	62	5	0	0	333	45
Germinal Beerschot	2009–10	Belgian First Division	26	2	4	0	0	0	0	0	30	2
	2010–11	Belgian First Division	28	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	32	0
	Total		54	2	8	0	0	0	0	0	62	2
Career total			408	43	25	2	62	5	2	0	497	50

International

Year	Appearances	Goals
1998	8	0
1999	2	0
2000	1	0
2001	3	0
2002	3	0
2003	5	1
2004	8	0
2005	4	0
2006	1	0
2007	3	0
Total	38	1

International goals
Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	7 June 2003	Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia	Bulgaria	1–2	2–2	Euro 2004 Qualification

Managerial record

As of match played 2 January 2024

Managerial record by team and tenure
Team	From	To	Record
Team	From	To	P	W	D	L	Win %
Club Brugge (interim)	4 November 2012	15 November 2012	2	0	1	1	000.00
Waasland-Beveren	1 July 2017	18 December 2017	22	9	5	8	040.91
Genk	18 December 2017	30 June 2019	82	47	21	14	057.32
Club Brugge	30 June 2019	3 January 2022	129	71	33	25	055.04
Monaco	3 January 2022	4 June 2023	76	39	18	19	051.32
Rangers	15 October 2023	Present	18	14	3	1	077.78
Total			329	180	81	68	054.71