He had been the goalkeeper of the Cercle de Bruges team, in the Belgian first division, since 2013. The announcement of his death moved the country.
A wave of emotion hits Belgium, this Tuesday, March 29. Miguel Van Damme, goalkeeper of the Cercle de Bruges (Belgian first division) since 2013, died overnight, his family announced. He was only 28 years old.
Since 2016, the footballer suffered from leukemia. After a battle session against this blood cancer, he was declared cured in 2019. But the disease returned a few months later and, despite a transplant, he announced in September 2020 his pessimism about the effectiveness of the treatment.
On the social network Instagram, Kyana, his wife, post this Tuesday morning a farewell message, in which she addresses her late husband as well as Camille, their little girl born last May.
“Beloved darling, dad left last night for his last game, a game he couldn’t win anymore. You left us slowly, but you still did it your way…with strength. You won You are beaten like a lion. We are so grateful for who you were. An example to many. Rest now my love, you have more than deserved it, you are now free from all pain. We love you so much. Big hug from your two darlings. See you soon”.
Miguel Van Damme’s club Cercle Brugge also expressed their sadness: “Words are inadequate to describe how we feel, even though we knew things weren’t going well for some time. Today Today is a very difficult day in the almost 123-year history of Cercle Brugge.”
In September 2020, Miguel Van Damme kicked off an always unique meeting, the Bruges derby, between FC Bruges and Cercle de Bruges. He had been warmly applauded by the whole public, in a great moment of emotion.
Miguel Van Damme was trained at the Cercle de Bruges, and made his debut in the Belgian first division in 2014.
