He started his career at FC Loncin, a small team from the Belgian Provincial leagues in the province of Liège, at his tenth, he moved to R.F.C. de Liège where he stayed ten years before moving to R.F.C. Union La Calamine. After three season he was noticed by Oud-Heverlee Leuven, a team in the Third Division, where he scored 21 goals during the 2004-2005 season to end second in the top scorer standings. In the playoffs that followed, he scored another eight goals which would ultimately cause the team to promote to the Second Division. Because of this he managed to clinch a transfer to the top division in Belgian football as he joined Charleroi and was trained by Jacky Mathijssen. Its is often said that Mathijssen was the person to turn Sterchele into one of the top players in the Jupiler League. After just one year, he went to K.F.C. Germinal Beerschot and became Belgium's top scorer. On July 19, 2007, he returned under the wing of Mathijssen when he moved to Club Brugge He scored 2 goals for Club Brugge K.V. on his league debut against Bergen.

On May 7, 2008, Sterchele was visiting some friends in Antwerpen and was supposed to meet with Jurgen Cavens. On his way home, around 3.00 AM on May 8, 2008, Sterchele was driving in his Porsche on the N49 between Antwerpen and Knokke. Sterchele had to make a sudden move to the right for reasons unknown up and to this moment and crashed at a high speed, as was explained by the fire department. He drove in a ditch and was then catapulted against a tree and landed in a cornfield. No other cars were involved in the accident.