Daniel Van Buyten

Daniel Van Buyten, nicknamed Big Dan, is a Belgian former footballer who played as a centre back and was born on 7 February 1978. He began at Charleroi as a striker, and his career took off once he was converted into a defender. He then played for a series of top-flight clubs, among them Marseille, Manchester City, Hamburger SV and Bayern Munich, and was known for an uncompromising style that used his physical strength and his ability in the air. He was a regular starter for the Belgium national team, collecting 83 caps over an international career of thirteen years that included two FIFA World Cups, the first being the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan. When Bayern Munich won the European crown in 2013, he became the first Belgian to win the UEFA Champions League.