Astral squares. Someone believes that they influence human events, others don’t, but maybe they can become an excellent narrative device. Too difficult for those who are not in the field to understand what squaring there was in the first part of the 1988but it was certainly in favor of those who were Belgian and bore the surname Demolition. Yeah, why Dirkgregarious cyclist of the time as a real one underdog managed to win in an almost moving way the Paris-RoubaixWhile Stephane, who had only the surname in common with the cyclist, was at the peak of his football career. Stephane grows up in Flanders: he is a curly-haired and very tall boy, seraphic when he plays football. Lead the defense of Dryenbosthe team of a municipality of 4 thousand inhabitants and his skills immediately earned him the call of theAnderlecht, the most important national club. At 14 he was already in the youth team, at 17 he made his debut in the first team and became a permanent starter. He has only one professional championship and is at the pub with friends at Leuven in 1985 when a gore from Grun in the 85th minute in the play-offs againstWhen give the Red Devils the pass for Mexico ’86.
He didn’t expect that from cheering in that pub in Mertens’ future hometown he would be a member of the national team. But it was evidently the beginning of an astral squaring.
Guy Thys will decide not only to take him to Mexico, but to field him at the age of 20 as owner for the entire event in place of Hugo Bros. Stephane will reciprocate by contributing, even with an incredible goal in extra time in the round of 16 againstSoviet Union to take the team to the semi-finals. It goes without saying that with the opponent met in the semi-final, not even the most favorable of celestial circumstances could have done much: just remember that it was 1986. Belgium closes with a very dignified fourth place: until the bronze won in 2018 it would have remained the most prestigious result of the national team at the World Cup.
Demol returns to his Anderlecht: he is a pillar of a team that wins another Belgian championship and twice stops in the quarter-finals in Champions Cup. His good performances make him attractive for the big European clubs and for Serie A: they are looking for him Bayern, Barcelona, Stuttgart and also theAtalanta (at the time even a small A club had the appeal of the big Europeans) but in the end he chose the Bologna of Maifredi newly promoted because he “plays with the area”. For 600 million lire Demol signs for president Corioni’s club. The beginning is nightmarish: after an illusory victory against the first Pisa the rossoblù finish in last place with the worst defense of the tournament. Demol’s contribution takes the form of a own goal against the Juventus and in a penalty goal against the Napoli by Maradona, when the Azzurri were already leading 3-0. Then Maifredi’s team manages to get back on track but Demol often ends up on the sidelines: too slow and too light in marking against the fearsome forwards of Serie A, Maifredi resorts to other elements of the squad, Renato Villa in particular.
In the end the team will be able to save themselves, but Demol will be rejected: he will be sold to Portoand in its place will come an old dot from president Corioni and mister Maifredi, the Bulgarian Iliev. At Porto Demol will win the championship by scoring the beauty of 11 golma la astral square favor was over: at the ’90 World Cup he won’t repeat the experience of four years earlier and will say goodbye to the national team, and his experience in clubs will also begin to be disappointing between ToulouseStandard Liège, Cercle Bruges and other experiences of few attendances and many disappointments. He tried the coaching experience, also acting as Vanderycken’s deputy but without major successes. Tomorrow he completes 57 years old… perhaps taking a look at the horoscope and the stars.