SÉBASTIEN Pocognoli will forever be remembered by Brighton fans for a spectacular free-kick goal he scored against Queens Park Rangers en route to promotion from the Championship.
Glenn Murray had given the Seagulls the lead in the April 2017 encounter at Loftus Road before, as the BBC reported, Pocognoli “executed a pinpoint free-kick with his left foot which flew in off the crossbar for an unstoppable second”.
Although Rangers pulled a goal back, Albion’s advantage gave them their first win at QPR for nearly 60 years and sent them back to the top of the league.
It was Pocognoli’s first competitive goal for six years and such a sweet strike etched his name in Brighton folklore.
Injuries and suspension dogged the left-back slot during that promotion season. Pocognoli had signed on a season-long loan from West Brom in August 2016 as cover for Gaetan Bong; Liam Rosenior having suffered an ankle injury.
But the loanee himself was troubled by a groin injury and made only 18 appearances for the Seagulls (plus three as a sub).
“Sebastien has a vast amount of experience having played in some of the top divisions in Europe,” Brighton manager Chris Hughton said on the day Pocognoli signed. “He is the type of quality player we want to add to the squad, and we are looking forward to working with him.”
The Belgian international came to the UK in 2014 having played top-flight football in Belgium, Holland and Germany.
Injury denied him the chance of going to Brazil to play in that summer’s World Cup for his country, but his disappointment was tempered by securing a move to the Premier League.
Unfortunately for him, his West Brom career barely got off the ground because the head coach who signed him – Alan Irvine – was soon replaced by Tony Pulis, who preferred Chris Brunt, Chris Baird or Joleon Lescott as left-back.
According to the uefa.com website, Pocognoli is a “technically-assured player, primarily a left-back but can also operate in midfield and is a specialist from dead-ball situations”. You can say that again!
Born in Seraing, near Liege, on 1 August 1987, Pocognoli represented Standard Liège at junior level but joined Genk aged 15, making his first team debut a year later, in 2004.
However, he had to be content with reserve team football until the 2006-07 season when he became a first-team regular, helping the club finish second in the Belgian first division.
In June 2007, Pocognoli joined Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar, and featured in 33 games under Louis van Gaal, later renowned for managing Holland and Manchester United.
“I was 19 years old, and I worked for two years under him,” he told the West Brom website. “He helped my formation as a footballer, pass-control-pass, tactically, because defensively I was not so strong. And also my personality, because he likes players with personality.
“He’s not only a good trainer but he’s also a good human being.”
After three years at AZ, his first club, Standard Liege, bought him and gave him a three-year contract. He became the established left-back for two seasons but in 2012-13 missed lots of games when sidelined by injury.
With only six months of his contract remaining, German club Hannover 96 took the opportunity to sign him in January 2013. He made an inauspicious start, getting sent off on his debut, and faced competition for the left-back spot.
Only 18 months into a three-year deal, he made the switch to the Premier League with West Brom, head coach Irvine telling the club website: “Sébastien is an experienced left-back who has played at a high level for many years.
“After being named in Belgium’s provisional World Cup squad, he just missed out on Brazil, mainly because he hadn’t played enough games towards the end of the season.
“But he’s joined us with a real hunger to prove himself at Albion and get back into the international set-up.
“We’ve done our due diligence on Sébastien in terms of people who have worked with him, including Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas.
“You make your own mind up about a player’s ability from watching him play but you put these calls in to find out about their personality. The feedback on Sébastien was very positive.”
The defender had gained international recognition from an early age and played for Belgium’s under 16s, under 17s, under 19s and under 21s. He was called up to the senior squad in 2008 and won 13 caps for his country.
After his Brighton loan expired, he returned to West Brom but was not retained. He expected to re-join Standard Liege when interviewed by the expressandstar.com, saying: “It all adds up: I will soon be a free agent, they need new blood and I’m an ex-player of Les Rouches. At the moment there is no contact, but the board is looking for players who are interested in their project.
“If I did go to Standard, I am one of the leaders in the dressing rooms anyway – not by shouting loudly, by setting a good example. I certainly would be an example for the young players.”
The move was duly confirmed and in his third spell with the club Pocognoli made 32 appearances, including, in March 2018, in the Belgian Cup Final, when Liege beat his former club Genk 1-0.
In 2020, Pocognoli switched to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, the club owned by Albion owner and chairman Tony Bloom.
DUCK-loving Matt Heath didn’t shirk a challenge and came to Brighton’s rescue in 2009 when injury and suspension decimated Albion’s available defenders.
In parallel lines 