Daniel Van Buyten

Daniel Van Buyten (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdaːnijɛl vɑm ˈbœytə(n)]; born 7 February 1978) is a Belgian former footballer who played as a centre back. Nicknamed "Big Dan", Van Buyten was known for his uncompromising style of play, exploiting both his physical strength and aerial ability.

Beginning at Charleroi as a striker, Van Buyten's career took off when he converted to a centre back, playing for a series of top flight clubs, including Marseille, Manchester City, Hamburger SV and Bayern Munich. Throughout his career, Van Buyten was also a regular starter for the Belgium national team, amassing 83 caps in an international career that spanned 13 years and which included participation at two FIFA World Cups.

Van Buyten became the first-ever Belgian winner of the UEFA Champions League when Bayern Munich claimed the European crown in 2013.

Van Buyten joined Olympique de Marseille in the summer of 2001, leaving Belgian side Standard Liège with whom he had been with since 1999. After two-and-a-half productive seasons with the club, on 31 January 2004 Van Buyten agreed to a short-term loan agreement with Manchester City, signing for the Premier League club until the end of the season. He proved to be a success in his half-season loan deal at the club, garnering praise from his manager, specifically in his performance against Chelsea. But former manager Kevin Keegan conceded that, "I don't think we will keep him at the end of the season as I feel he will go to a big club then."

Van Buyten returned to Marseille at the end of his loan agreement and was signed by Bundesliga club Hamburger SV in June 2004 to replace outgoing captain Nico-Jan Hoogma, agreeing to a four-year deal with the German side. For Hamburg he made 61 German top-flight appearances.

In June 2006, Bayern Munich announced that they had acquired Van Buyten from Hamburg and had signed him to a contract lasting through the 2009–10 season. Van Buyten had a highly successful first season at the Bavarian club, forming an effective centre-back partnership with Lúcio. Van Buyten scored his first goal for Bayern against Energie Cottbus on 9 December 2006, scoring the game-winning goal of a 2–1 victory for Die Roten. Van Buyten then scored his second goal for the club on 26 January 2007, levelling the sides at 1–1 but Bayern fell to Borussia Dortmund by a score of 3–2.

Arguably Van Buyten's most valuable contribution in his debut season, however, came against Milan on 3 April 2007, in the first-leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final. Van Buyten scored two away goals to level the match and give Bayern Munich the advantage in the tie. In the quarter-final encounter against Milan, he scored twice with his left foot, once in the 78th minute to take Bayern to 1–1 and then he scored a stoppage time half-volley.

On 4 February 2010, Bayern Munich announced that Van Buyten had signed a new contract that would keep him at the club until 2012. During the second half of the 2010–11 season, Van Buyten was mostly relegated to bench player status, but recovered his starting spot towards the end of the season. He was part of the squad that blitzed FC St. Pauli on 11 May 2011, netting a goal in an 8–1 victory that condemned the Hamburg-based side to relegation to the 2. Bundesliga.