Gilles De Bilde

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Gilles De Bilde (born June 9, 1971 in Zellik) is a former Belgian footballer.Forward. At the club level, he played for K.S.C. Eendracht Aalst, Anderlecht, Sheffield Wednesday, PSV and Lierse.De Bilde played 25 times for Belgium scoring 2 goals. At Aalst won the 1994 Belgian Player of the Year and hit 21 goals in 33 games in 1994-95. RSC Anderlecht signed the volatile De Bilde in 1995 scoring 22 goals in 46 league games. De Bilde has a reputation of enfant terrible after he hit one of his former teammates Krist Porte during an Anderlecht-Aalst game. That scandal , plus another incident at a hospital , prompted De Bilde to accept a move abroad. PSV Eindhoven paying £3millon in August 1997.He sored 24 goals in 49 league games in Holland. A £3million move to Sheffield Wednesday in August 1999 settled De Bilde down. His combative style made him popular with the Owls fans who dubbed him `Bob the builder`. He also became the club's leading goal scorer that season scoring 11 goals. That October he ended his 9 month exile from the national side having walked out.He made the squad for Euro 2000 but only made a single substitute appearance.De Bilde scored 13 goals in his 59 league games for the Owls and 4 games on loan at Aston Villa.Paul Jewell, his manager at Sheffield Wednesday in England, also claimed that he turned down a loan deal because there was no-one to look after his dogs. De Bilde rejoined Anderlecht in 2001 on a free transfer and played in the Champions League before moving on to SK Lierse in 2003.

De Bilde's love of dogs got him into trouble again in September 2006. He missed a match for his current club Willebroek Meerhof due to the death of his pet dog.

Nowadays, De Bilde is a regular football analist in Belgian TV-programmes commenting the Champions League and the Belgian Jupiler League. He has also appeared as a model for Belgian fashion designer Dirk Bikkembergs.

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