Former West Ham United forward Francois Van der Elst has passed away at the age of 62.
Francois Van der Elst was born in Opwijk, Belgium on the 1st December 1954 and joined Anderlecht at the age of 15, winning two national titles and four cups between 1971 and 1980. He also won the European Cup Winners’ Cup twice, in 1976 and 1978. The first of these finals was against West Ham United with the 21-year-old ‘Swat’, as he was known in his home country, scoring twice. Van der Elst scored 20 goals in 43 European games for Anderlecht and was widely regarded as the best forward in the Belgian league.
At the age of 25, Van der Elst left Anderlecht to sign for New York Cosmos where he played with the likes of Dutch midfielder Johan Neeskens and German legend Franz Beckenbauer. He also helped Belgium to second place in the 1980 European Championships and was part of the World Cup squad at Spain ’82. He scored 14 goals in 44 appearances for the Belgian national side having made his debut on 31st October 1973 in a 2-0 win over Norway played on his home ground at Anderlecht. Eight of his caps were won during his time at West Ham, with his final appearance for his country coming as a Lokeren player on 9th November 1983.
After a year in the States, the 27-year-old Van der Elst moved to England and to West Ham United for a fee of £400,000. He made his debut on 16th January 1982 as a substitute in a 1-0 defeat at Brighton in the First Division and scored his first goal for the club in his sixth appearance, in a 2-1 loss at Stoke on the 6th February 1982. That was the first of a spell that saw the Belgian score five goals in ten matches before the end of March 1982.
His only full campaign in claret and blue was a memorable one – he played 47 games, scored 12 goals and the Hammers finished eighth in the First Division. He notched four goals in as many games between 11th September and 2nd October as the Hammers thrashed Birmingham 5-0 at home, won 2-1 at West Brom, beat Man City 4-1 and won 3-2 at Arsenal. ‘Frankie’ also scored a hat-trick in the 3-3 League Cup fourth round draw at Notts County on 7th December 1982. His signing and goal at Tottenham is covered at the 1:27 mark of the video below.
Frankie scored in each of his last two matches at the Boleyn Ground, in a 2-0 triumph over Notts County on 7th May 1983 and in a 3-1 defeat to Arsenal three days later. His final Hammers appearance came at the age of 28 in a 4-2 win at Coventry on the 14th May 1983. After 70 appearances and 17 goals in all competitions for West Ham United, Van der Elst returned to his homeland, signing for Lokeren, with whom he stayed until his retirement from playing at the age of 30 in 1985 due to a fractured leg.
After his career, Van der Elst owned a snooker and billiards bar in his hometown of Opwijk. He still attended Hammers matches on occasion and had close ties with the Belgian Hammers supporters group. On New Years’ Day he collapsed and was resuscitated by a medical emergency team before being placed in an induced coma. After a period in intensive care, he eventually died from the sustained heart damage.
Former team-mate Sir Trevor Brooking said: “John Lyall managed to bring Francois in the season after we won promotion, adding to what was already a very good side. Technically he was very good and his style of play suited the way that John wanted to play. He was also a popular lad among the squad, well-liked by everyone, and obviously had an affinity with the supporters who saw him as the type of player suited to West Ham. It’s sad to hear of his loss, and obviously my condolences go to his family at this time".
Ex-Hammer Tony Cottee stated: “Francois was a lovely guy. He was in the team when I made my debut against Spurs, so I’ve obviously got great memories of that, and he was great to play with – very creative and skilful. I also remember him breaking my heart in the 1976 Cup Winners’ Cup Final though, when he scored two great goals for Anderlecht. There were a few tears in my house that night! It was a bit surreal to be playing with him just over six years later. He wasn’t at West Ham for too long but he made an impact and was a big favourite with the fans. He was one of those who paved the way for the future foreign players to come in – a genuine top player who was a success here and he won’t be forgotten”.
Former Iron Ray Stewart also paid tribute to his friend: “It’s terribly sad news and tragic for his family to have lost him at the age of just 62. Frankie was a great player and a great guy, too. I got really friendly with him as we lived near each other in Brentwood and used to travel in to training together. I used to drop him off at the airport if he was heading back to Belgium for whatever reason, and he’d let me use his car while he was away! We just clicked as pals, he was very easy to get along with and we spent a lot of time together. As a player, he was wonderful to play with, very intelligent, skilful and really fitted into the way that we played under John Lyall at West Ham then. I’d not spoken to him for a good few years but I still thought about him and all the good times we shared – I have so many great memories from that time”.
Francois Van der Elst passed away on Wednesday 11th January at the age of 62. I am sure all WHTID readers will join me in sending condolences and best wishes to Francois’ family and friends at this sad time.