He began his career at his team of SC Merksem. In 1982 he played for Royal Antwerp. In 1989, after seven seasons with the team, he moved to R.S.C. Anderlecht. He then joined K.A.A. Two years later he joined Gent. In 1995 he moved to Israel to play for Hapoel Ironi Rishon LeZion F.C. Then he played for Hapoel Herzliya F.C. In 1997 he returned to his original club. Van der Linden continued to play for Merksem until 2002 when he retired. He also played 19 times for the Belgium national football team, scoring nine goals. Van der Linden also appeared in the 1990 FIFA World Cup.