Louis Van Hege débuted on the highest level for Union Saint-Gilloise, playing for that side from 1906-10, and winning two Belgian Championships (1909, 1910). In 1910 he was discovered by the industrialist Pirelli and switched to the Italian club Milano with two other teammates. A high-scoring forward (97 goals in 88 appearances), “Luigi” Van Hege soon became one of the most popular players on the club. In 1912 he scored five goals in one match against Juventus. His career was interrupted by World War I, during which he played for the Front Wanderers, the national military team.
Van Hege returned to Union in 1919, winning his third Belgian title in 1923 and remaining with this club until his retirement in 1924. In total he played 132 matches in the Belgian First Division scoring 24 goals. That same year, 1919, he was first selected for the Belgian team, eventually earning 12 caps. He scored three goals for the Red Devils, and was a member of the winning team at the 1920 Olympics (scoring once in that tournament). Van Hege’s last international came at the 1924 Olympics, when Belgium was swept off the field by Sweden. Van Hege remained connected with Union, and served as vice-president of the club from 1952-63. He also started a second sports career in bobsleigh. After being a reserve in the 1928 Games, he competed in the two-man event at the 1932 Olympics, placing ninth.
Belgium