He was a goalkeeper at Racing Brussels in the 1920s. A powerhouse who was an amateur boxer as well, which was useful. In a time where goalkeeping added another dimension – from 1912 goalkeepers could only touch the ball with their hands in their penalty area – De Bie developed into the most popular goalkeeper in the country. His style was complete: flexible in all his moves, dependable with his hands and strong with his fists. He often played as third defender. De Bie became Olympic champion with Belgium in 1920 in Antwerp. Legendary Spanish goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora considered De Bie to be better than him