Clubs: KAA Gent, FC Zenit St Petersburg

• Born in Bruges, Lombaerts played youth football for Club Brugge KV, earning national-team representation for Belgium at the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.

• Unable to make a breakthrough at Brugge, he joined local rivals Gent, where he became a regular during the 2005/06 season under Georges Leekens, making 31 league appearances and scoring one goal; also won his first senior cap for Belgium − on 11 May 2006 against Saudi Arabia − and played all four games for his country at the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals.

• Left for Zenit in July 2007 and played a prominent role in helping them win their first Russian title; also featured regularly in the early rounds of the club's triumphant UEFA Cup run but suffered a knee injury in early 2008 that sidelined him – barring one brief attempt at a comeback - until July 2009.

• Scored a winning goal against FC Spartak Moskva (2-1) that enabled Zenit to finish third in the 2009 Premier-Liga and starred in their 2010 double-winning success, making 26 league appearances and scoring three goals; signed a new four-year contract in July 2010.

• Returned to the Belgium side for the latter stages of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying under ex-Zenit boss Dick Advocaat and retained for UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers under former Gent coach Leekens.