Henri Depireux started as a midfielder at FC Liège, but his greatest successes came with Standard, with which he became champion 3 times and reached the quarterfinals of the European Cup for National Champions (by beating Real Madrid, among others).
Depireux also struggled against the national team, even playing twice, but eventually dropped out when the selection for the 1970 World Cup had to be made.
Depireux’s coaching career is characterized by a succession of clubs from home and abroad. Belenenses in Portugal was his first adventure across the borders, but this was followed by trips to Switzerland, France and especially the African continent.
Depireux guides Cameroon, among others, to the 1998 World Cup, but he himself resigns before the tournament starts due to dissatisfaction with the state of affairs at the association. Later he would also become national coach of Congo.
Until an advanced age, Depireux remained active as a trainer, including with the women of Standard. At his last job, as a trainer at Zaventem, Depireux was already 75 years old. He would eventually live to be 78.
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