Sébastien Pocognoli

Club career

Pocognoli started in Standard Liège's youth system but moved to Genk at age 15, believing Standard would not offer first-team chances. He made his Genk debut as a substitute against Gent on 9 April 2004, his only appearance that season. After being sent to the reserves by new manager René Vandereycken, he broke into the first team in 2006, starting against Charleroi on 22 January and scoring his first professional goal against Westerlo on 28 January.

He finished the 2005–06 season with fifteen appearances and one goal. Despite interest from Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur, he stayed at Genk, signing a contract extension until 2011. He became a regular in 2006–07, making thirty-four appearances despite a red card against Sint-Truidense, and was nominated for Young Player Footballer of the Year. On 20 June 2007, he left Genk for AZ for a fee of about €2.75 million, signing a five-year contract and turning down an offer from Bayer Leverkusen.

International career

Pocognoli represented Belgium at under-16, under-17, under-19, and under-21 levels, and was part of the squad at the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He also played six matches at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Called up to the senior team on 24 May 2008, he made his debut on 30 May 2008, starting in a 3–1 loss to Italy, and later appeared in FIFA World Cup qualifiers. In 2009, he was involved in a dressing room altercation with teammates Timmy Simons and Stijn Stijnen.

Coaching career

After retiring at the end of the 2020–21 season, Pocognoli coached Union SG's under-21 team, then managed Genk's under-18 side and the Belgium under-18 team. In July 2024 he returned to Union SG as first-team head coach, leading them to their first league title in 90 years. His side finished third in the regular season but went unbeaten in the Championship Playoffs, winning nine of ten matches, including a decisive 1–0 win at Club Brugge and a final-day 3–1 victory over Gent, securing a first-ever Champions League league phase spot. On 11 October 2025 he became head coach of Ligue 1 side Monaco, but was sacked on 1 June 2026. On 16 August 2026 he was appointed head coach of the Scotland national team on a two-year contract, becoming Scotland's second foreign head coach after Berti Vogts.