Carl Hoefkens is a professional football player who was born on September 6, 1978 in Lier, Belgium. He is married to Vanessa, and they have son named Milan.
Carl Hoefkens plays Belgium at the international level and he was a member of the squad that represented Belgium in the 1997 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Youth Championship. In 1999, Carl Hoefkens got a call for the national senior side and won his first international cap in a Euro 2008 qualifying game against Portugal in June 2007. As of 2008, this defender has won a total of 24 international caps for his national side that includes a friendly game against Turkey in which his first goal.
In 1999, Carl Hoefkens began his professional football career with the Belgian side K. Lierse S.K. and during his tenure of six years at this club, he appeared in 129 matches and scored once. In 2001, he moved to Lommel and played 54 games for the club, scoring four goals to his credit. A couple of years later, Carl Hoefkens signed with Westerlo and in the same year, he moved to Germinal Beerschot, a football side based in the Belgian city of Antwerp. During his stint at this club, he was an integral part of the team and helped his side emerge victorious with the Belgian Cup after defeating the Bruges Football Club in the final. Carl Hoefkens played sixty two games and scored two goals during his two year tenure with Germinal Beerschot.
In the summer of 2005, Carl Hoefkens was signed by the English premier League side Stoke City for an undisclosed transfer fee. On August 6, 2005, he made his debut for the club in a 0-0 draw against Sheffield Wednesday. Following this, he was a regular in the team and won the Fans' Player of the Year for his spectacular first season (2005–06) at the club. In the following season, he impressed everyone with brilliance and versatility on the field as he could play either as a winger or central midfielder. During his tenure at this club, Carl Hoefkens appeared in 89 games and scored five goals.
In August 2007, he signed with West Bromwich Albion on a two-year contract worth £750,000. He made his debut for this club in a game against Burnley on the opening day of the 2007-08 season. He carried his good form in the first season for the club, and for his performance in a 2-0 winning match against Preston North End, he was named in the Championship Team of the Week. As of 2008, Carl Hoefkens has made total of 43 appearances for the club.
His teammates at West Bromwich Albion know Carl Hoefkens as “Wolverine” because of his resemblance to the comic book hero from the X-Men.
