The most notable presence at the Hall Of Fame gala was perhaps this: Eric Gerets had made the trip, despite his health concerns. He moved everyone.
It seemed obvious thatEric Gerets would be one of the first 10 players inducted into the Pro League Hall of Fame. The 1982 Golden Shoe and best full-back in the history of our football was nominated as a legend of Standard de Liège, but his popularity goes far beyond the banks of the Meuse and if we had had to bet on a few names certain to be inducted, Gerets was one of them.
The Lion of Rekem had our vote, for the record. And unsurprisingly, he was one of the “winners” honored this Monday. But when the Pro League announced in advance to the press that “9 of the 10 inductees would be present”, without specifying who the winners were, we wondered if the absentee would not be Gerets.
Because the former OM coach is rare in public, even if he still occasionally kicks off at Sclessin. Eric Gerets, once so lively on his right side, can no longer walk alone and only moves very slowly, the fault of a cerebral hemorrhage suffered more than ten years ago and the after-effects which are now becoming permanent.
A standing ovation for Eric Gerets
The absentee was ultimately Vincent Kompany, in full preparation for his match against Benfica in the Champions League. Eric Gerets was there, and he shocked everyone. Obviously, he was particularly happy to be there and happy with the honor done to him.
It was no coincidence that it was he whose identity was revealed last among the 10 inductees. Gerets thus got on the podium under the emotional gaze of many former teammates, such as Caje Ceulemans, Jean-Marie Pfaff and Franky Van der Elst. He was given a long standing ovation and all the other inductees hugged him.
We know: Eric Gerets is not in good shape, and will probably gradually reduce public appearances. But his few words spoken after receiving his legendary golden Pro League jacket were enough to wet the eyes of many in the audience. The Lion of Rekem has no longer roared in recent years, but it has lost none of its majesty. The legend of the evening was him, and no one else…
