Belgium's new golden boy

By Berend Scholten

Last year he was playing his football in the Belgian second division, but this season has been a revelation for striker Luigi Pieroni. Since joining R. Excelsior Mouscron, the 23-year-old has not been able to stop scoring, and has now made his debut for the national side.

Late debut
The 2-0 friendly defeat by France on 18 February may not have been one of Belgium's greatest moments, but Pieroni will have good reason to remember it, as he took the field with two minutes of the game remaining to complete his meteoric rise from zero to hero.

Humble beginnings
The son of an Italian father and Spanish mother, Pieroni started his career with lower league side RFC Montegnée in the shadow of the city of Liège, home to a number of Italian immigrants from the 1950s. Having failed to make the grade in the R. Standard de Liège youth team, he later moved on to Club Liège.

Free transfer
It was there that his footballing dreams began to come true. Last season was his fourth with the club, and few could ignore the young forward's hunger for goals - not least Mouscron who signed him on a free transfer at the end of the campaign.

Quick progress
In the player's profile on the Mouscron website, Pieroni listed his ambitions as: "First to win a seat on the bench, then in the second half of the season a place in the first team." However, he has progressed rather quicker than expected.

Goalscoring burst
Pieroni started the season on the bench, but scored four goals in his first ten appearances for Mouscron before hitting his stride in dramatic style in December. Finally earning a place in the regular starting lineup, Pieroni suddenly started scoring goals for fun.

Terrific run
From 6 December 2003 to 24 January 2004 he started six Belgian first division games, scoring nine goals in the process - including a hat-trick against RAEC Mons. He then had a rare off-day against K. Lierse SK before coming back with a hat-trick in his next match against KRC Genk.

Pieroni dazzled
As things stand he has scored a total of 17 goals in 19 top-flight outings. "And maybe I am the one who is most surprised about that," he said. "At Club Liège I was never the top scorer, and now I have been at the top of the goal rankings for weeks - and in the highest division."

Antheunis impressed
Belgium coach Aimé Antheunis had little choice but to include him in his squad to face France, saying: "Pieroni is young and the top goalscorer in the national league. Often that player is a foreigner, so it would be stupid not to select Belgium's leading scorer when we have the chance."

In his favour
Pieroni's coach at Mouscron, former national coach George Leekens, could only agree with Antheunis's decision. "Pieroni has a lot of things going for him," he said. "He is young, talented and very efficient. In my period as national team coach I had to field much less impressive strikers."

'Fantastic reward'
The player himself has been quick to credit his Mouscron team-mate, Mbo Mpenza, for his success, and was delighted to join his fellow striker in the national team. "I was still playing in the second division ten months ago," said Pieroni. "I am so happy with being called up. It's a fantastic reward for all my hard work."