Bert de Hert
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Albert Lodewijk De Hert | ||
| Date of birth | November 18, 1921 | ||
| Place of birth | Berchem, Belgium | ||
| Date of death | July 8, 2013 (aged 91) | ||
| Place of death | Berchem, Antwerp, Belgium | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1943–1955 | Berchem Sport | 266 | (173) |
| National team | |||
| 1949–1950 | Belgium | 10 | (3) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
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Albert "Bert" Lodewijk De Hert (18 november 1921 – 8 juli 2013)[1][2] was a Belgen footballer who played as a forward for Berchem Sport and the Belgium national football team. He was the top scorer in the Belgian First Division in the 1950–51 season. After his football career, he ran several restaurants and is credited with inventing the Martino sandwich.
Football career
De Hert was the son of Louis De Hert (1894–1967), who also played for Antwerp FC and Berchem Sport. Albert and his older brother Constant progressed through the youth system at Berchem Sport. During World War II, he debuted in the first team, which was then in the Second Division.
In the 1941–42 season, De Hert was top scorer in the Second Division with 41 goals. In 1943, Berchem Sport became champions and were promoted to the top flight, with De Hert again the top scorer, this time with a record 55 goals.
Berchem Sport finished as runners-up in the top division in 1949, 1950, and 1951. In the latter year, De Hert was the league's top scorer with 27 goals.
He earned 10 caps for the Belgium national team between 1949 and 1950, scoring three goals.
By the time he retired in 1955, De Hert had played 266 top-flight matches and scored 173 goals. Including war-time and second-tier games, his total reached 362 matches and 307 goals.[3]
Restaurant and Martino sandwich
While still playing, De Hert opened a sandwich bar in Antwerp's nightlife district. After retiring in 1955, he ran a tearoom and, later, a restaurant that he managed for 45 years before retiring in 2008 at the age of 86.
De Hert claimed to have invented the Martino sandwich in 1951. According to his account, footballer Theo Maertens of Antwerp FC once asked for a sandwich with “everything you’ve got,” which led to a mix of piri piri, Tabasco, cayenne pepper, pickles, salt, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and chopped onions. The sandwich became popular, and a customer asked for “the same as Martino,” a nickname for Maertens. The name stuck.[4]
In 2024, the local platform *Antwerpen Lokaal* designated 18 november as **Martino Day**, in honour of De Hert’s contribution to Belgian food culture.[5]
Honours
- Belgian First Division top scorer: 1950–51 (27 goals)
References
- ↑ "Bedenker broodje martino overleden". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Nederlands). 8 juli 2013. Retrieved 31 mei 2025. Check date values in:
|access-date=, |date=(help) - ↑ "Albert De Hert". Ingedachten.be (in Nederlands). Retrieved 31 mei 2025. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Belgium Soccer History". Archived from the original on 1 januari 2021. Retrieved 31 mei 2025. Check date values in:
|access-date=, |archive-date=(help) - ↑ "Albert De Hert smeerde het eerste broodje martino". Het Nieuwsblad (in Nederlands). 25 mei 2005. Retrieved 31 mei 2025. Check date values in:
|access-date=, |date=(help) - ↑ "18 november is Day of the Martino Sandwich". Antwerpen Lokaal (in Nederlands). 18 november 2024. Retrieved 31 mei 2025. Check date values in:
|access-date=, |date=(help)
External links
- Obituary – *Gazet van Antwerpen* Script error: The function "in_lang" does not exist.
- In memoriam – Ingedachten.be Script error: The function "in_lang" does not exist.
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