Odilon Polleunis (1 May 1943 – 20 September 2023), nicknamed Lon, was a Belgian footballer who won the Belgian Golden Shoe in 1968 while at Sint-Truiden. He played 22 matches and scored 10 goals for the Belgium national team between 1968 and 1975.
Club career
Lon Polleunis played most of his career for Sint-Truiden. The stylish attacker, also originating from Sint-Truiden, became a real club icon. With 89 goals, he is still the club's top scorer in the first division.
In the mid-1970s, "Lon" moved to RWDM, with which he won the Belgian title in 1975.
International career
Polleunis started in a 2–1 friendly win against the Netherlands on 7 April 1968. He scored on his debut and the first of his seven goals in his first five International games, including a hat-trick against Finland and two against Yugoslavia in World Cup qualifiers in October 1968.
At the 1970 FIFA World Cup Polleunis came on as substitute in Belgium's win against El Salvador and started against Mexico in the third game replacing Raoul Lambert.
Death
Polleunis died of heart failure on 20 September 2023, at the age of 80.
Honours
Sint-Truiden
Belgian First Division runner-up: 1965–66
Belgian cup runner-up: 1970-71
RWD Molenbeek
Belgian First Division: 1974–75
Jules Pappaert Cup: 1975
Amsterdam Tournament: 1975
Belgium
UEFA European Championship third place: 1972
Individual
Belgian Golden Shoe: 1968
Man of the Season (Belgian First Division): 1971–72
Honorary Citizen of Sint-Truiden: 2021
References
External links
1943 births
2023 deaths
Sportspeople from Sint-Truiden
Belgian men's footballers
Footballers from Limburg (Belgium) Men's association football forwards Belgium men's international footballers 1970 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 1972 players R.W.D.M. Brussels F.C. players Belgian Pro League players Sint-Truidense V.V. players R.W.D. Molenbeek (1909) players K.S.K. Tongeren players Sint-Truidense V.V. managers Deaths from congestive heart failure