R.S.C. Anderlecht

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Anderlecht
Full nameRoyal Sporting Club Anderlecht
Nickname(s)Purple & White, Sporting
(Dutch: Paars-wit;
French: Les Mauves et Blancs)
Short nameR.S.C.A.
Founded27 May 1908; 115 years ago (1908-05-27)
GroundLotto Park
Capacity22,500[1]
ChairmanWouter Vandenhaute
ManagerBrian Riemer
LeagueBelgian Pro League
2022–23Belgian Pro League, 11th of 18
WebsiteClub website
Current season

Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht (Dutch:

Belgian First Division A and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions, with five trophies, as well as in the Belgian domestic league, with 34 championship wins. They have also won nine Belgian Cups and hold the record for most consecutive Belgian championship titles, winning five between the 1963–64 and 1967–68
seasons.

Founded in 1908, the club first reached the highest level in Belgian football in

Anderlecht have been playing their matches in the Astrid Park in the municipality of Anderlecht since 1917. Their current stadium was renamed Lotto Park in 2019. Previously it was called Constant Vanden Stock Stadium which was first opened in 1983 to replace the former Emile Versé Stadium. They play in purple and white outfits. They have long-standing rivalries with Club Brugge and Standard Liège.

History

Founded as Sporting Club Anderlechtois on 27 May 1908 by a dozen football lovers at the Concordia café (located in the Rue d'Aumale/Aumalestraat in the municipality of Anderlecht), the club beat Institut Saint-Georges in their first match, 11–8.[4] They joined the official competition in 1909–10, starting at the lowest level in the Belgian football league system, then the third provincial division. In 1912–13, they gained promotion to the second-higher level of football, then named the Promotion. After only one season at that level, the championships were suspended due to World War I, and resumed in 1919–20. With the popularity of the team increasing, Anderlecht had moved to a new stadium in the Astrid Park in 1917 (then known as Meir Park). They baptized the stadium Stade Emile Versé in honor of the club's first major patron, the industrialist Emile Versé.

At the end of the

Andreas Beres, the club even won five titles in a row (from 1963–64 to 1967–68), which is still a Belgian league record. The star of this team was Paul Van Himst, topscorer in 1965, 1967 and 1969 and Belgian Golden Shoe
winner in 1960, 1961, 1965 and 1974.

Anderlecht played in the first

European Super Cups
.

The 1982–83 season was a noteworthy season for the club for numerous reasons: former Anderlecht favourite Paul Van Himst was named the new coach, they won the 1982–83 UEFA Cup and under the impulse of sporting director Michel Verschueren, the rebuilding of the club stadium began.[5] But in the domestic league, Anderlecht had to settle for second place behind Standard. Their bid to retain the UEFA Cup in 1983–84 failed at the final hurdle against English side Tottenham Hotspur. Anderlecht reached the final by bribing the semi-final referee to the equivalent of £27,000, ensuring passage against another English side, Nottingham Forest.[6]

After three second-place finishes in a row, the Purple and Whites secured an easy 18th title in 1984–85, 11 points ahead of

Eddie Krnčević. The next year, Anderlecht retained the trophy with goals by Eddie Krncevic and Milan Janković (again with a 2–0 win over Standard), but finished second in the championship. After his second cup win, Goethals left for Bordeaux in the French Ligue 1
.

During the 1990s, Anderlecht reached one more European final, the

Sampdoria. The club then declined in European competitions, with the 1990–91 and 1996–97 UEFA Cup quarter-finals their best results. In national competition, they won four championship titles and a cup. During the 2000s, Anderlecht secured five more Belgian champion titles, reaching a total of 29 titles in 2007, in addition to one more cup victory. In the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, they qualified for the first time to the second round, then another group stage, where they finished third in their group behind Real Madrid and Leeds United
.

In 2009–10, the Purple and Whites won their 30th Belgian league title, while in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League, Anderlecht made history by becoming the first Belgian team to finish the group stage of a European competition with the maximum number of points, dominating group opposition Lokomotiv Moscow, Sturm Graz and AEK Athens. They were also the only team of that year's Europa League to achieve this feat. On 6 May 2012, Anderlecht won their 31st Belgian championship,[8] while on 22 July, they won their tenth Belgian Super Cup.[9]

The seasons 2014–15 and 2015–16 were a disappointment sportively. After the appointiment of young Swiss coach René Weiler, Anderlecht, with youth players like Youri Tielemans and Leander Dendoncker, became champions again in the 2016–17 season. In the Europa League they were eliminated in the quarter final by Manchester United.[10]

After businessman Marc Coucke took over the club in 2018, structural changes followed, together with regular personnel changes.[11] Sportingly, a low point was reached in 2019–20: despite the return of club icon Vincent Kompany, the club did not qualify for the European Cups the following season, which it had managed for the previous 55 years.[12]

Colours and badge

Anderlecht colours are purple and white, and the club's home kit is generally purple with white trim, though they did wear a black and purple home kit in the 2005–06 season, and a grey in the 2007–08 season. In the beginning, purple was the main colour of the shirts. The motto of Anderlecht ("Mens sana in corpore sano") is written on its badge as are the three letters "SCA", referring to the initial name of the club (Sporting Club Anderlechtois). A crown was added in 1933 following the name change to Royal Sporting Club Anderlechtois. Anderlecht's colours was inspired by Belgian immigrants that lived in Antigua Guatemala. Purple is the color of the city of Antigua and the color of the Belgian monarchy.

Conversely, Anderlecht's colours inspired United Arab Emirates Al Ain FC club to change their colours to purple, after they saw Anderlecht play in a friendly tournament in 1977.[13]

Kit evolution

1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015

Stadium

Lotto Park

Anderlecht play their home matches at the

Lotto Park stadium located within the Astrid Park in the municipality of Anderlecht. It currently has a capacity of 22,500 places.[14] Anderlecht has been playing in the Astrid Park since the building of the Emile Versé Stadium in 1917. The stadium was completely rebuilt in 1983 and renamed in honour of the then chairman Constant Vanden Stock. Prior to 1917, the club has played on a pitch in the current Rue du Serment/Eedstraat for a couple of years since 1908, then in a stadium located in Rue Verheydenstraat (now Rue Démosthènestraat).[15] In 2013 the stadium was refurbished, with installation of new scoreboards and advertising strips alongside the border of the pitch in accordance with UEFA regulations for the Champions League. AIM Sport
was chosen as the provider for the ultra-modern LED strips and their controllers.

Anderlecht would move to the 60,000-capacity

Belgium national team and host UEFA Euro 2020.[17] However, during the years that followed, the project was plagued by numerous delays caused by political infighting.[18][19] In February 2017, Anderlecht eventually pulled out of the project.[20] In the 2018–19 season, Anderlecht drew an average home attendance of 18,536 in 15 league games at their stadium.[21]

In July 2019, the new owner Marc Coucke sold the naming rights of the Constant Vanden Stockstadion to the firm Lotto, and changed the name to Lotto Park.[22]

Club's anthem

Before the start of every home match, the song "Anderlecht Champion" by Lange Jojo is played in the stadium.[23] It was released in 1985 in French and Flemish (Brussels dialect) after Anderlecht became national champions. The song was reworked into a Belgian national supporters' song and was used at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, after which the chorus Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé became an international anthem used in sports, musical performances and political activities.[24]

Supporters

The club had the highest average attendance in the Belgian First Division for ten years, until 2004–05.[citation needed] Anderlecht supporters hail from all over the country and only a minority come from the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht counts 77 fan clubs, of which 5 are abroad (one in France, one in Poland, one in Texas, USA, one in Montreal, Canada and one in Sunderland, England).[citation needed]

Rivals

Anderlecht's main rivals are Standard Liege and Club Brugge.

Honours

Domestic

Leagues

Cups

International

Minor

Individual

Players

Current squad

As of 6 February 2024[26]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Denmark DEN Kasper Schmeichel
5 DF Senegal SEN Moussa N'Diaye
7 MF Belgium BEL Francis Amuzu
10 MF Belgium BEL Yari Verschaeren
11 FW Belgium BEL Thorgan Hazard
12 FW Denmark DEN Kasper Dolberg
14 DF Belgium BEL Jan Vertonghen (captain)
15 DF Sweden SWE Ludwig Augustinsson (on loan from Sevilla)
16 GK Denmark DEN Mads Kikkenborg
17 MF Belgium BEL Théo Leoni
18 MF Ghana GHA Majeed Ashimeru
20 FW Argentina ARG Luis Vázquez
21 MF Guinea GUI Amadou Diawara
No. Pos. Nation Player
22 DF Belgium BEL Louis Patris
23 MF Belgium BEL Mats Rits
25 MF Denmark DEN Thomas Delaney (on loan from Sevilla)
26 GK Belgium BEL Colin Coosemans
29 FW Belgium BEL Mario Stroeykens
32 FW Ecuador ECU Nilson Angulo
33 DF Argentina ARG Federico Gattoni (on loan from Sevilla)
36 MF Denmark DEN Anders Dreyer
54 DF Belgium BEL Killian Sardella
56 DF Belgium BEL Zeno Debast
61 MF Norway NOR Kristian Arnstad
63 GK Belgium BEL Timon Vanhoutte
77 MF England ENG Tudor Mendel-Idowu

Other players under contract

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
FW Belgium BEL Antoine Colassin

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
DF Belgium BEL Marco Kana (at Kortrijk until 30 June 2024)
MF Nigeria NGA Ishaq Abdulrazak (at Häcken until 30 June 2024)
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF France FRA Alexis Flips (at Ankaragücü until 30 June 2024)

RSCA Futures (Reserves and Youth Academy)

Notable players

Rob Rensenbrink, awarded as the club's best player of the 20th century[27] Paul Van Himst, awarded as Belgium's best player of the 20th century[28] Jef Mermans, the club's all-time topscorer (367 goals in 399 games)[29] Olivier Deschacht played most games for Anderlecht (602)[30]
Name Nationality Position RSC Anderlecht
career[A]
League record[B] Honours[C]
Apps Goals
Hugo Broos Belgium DF 1970-1983 350 1 2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 1 UEFA Cup, 3 Belgian Championships, 4 Belgian Cups
Ludo Coeck Belgium MF 1972-1983 292 54 2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 1 UEFA Cup, 2 Belgian Championships, 3 Belgian Cups
Jean Cornelis Belgium DF 1958-1971 287 6 7 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Bertrand Crasson Belgium DF 1989-1996
1998–2003
291 19 6 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Michel De Groote Belgium DF 1975-1977
1979–1989
294 27 1 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 UEFA Cup, 4 Belgian Championships, 3 Belgian Cups
Filip De Wilde Belgium GK 1987-1996
1998–2003
369 0 6 Belgian Championships, 3 Belgian Cups
Olivier Deschacht Belgium DF 2001-2018 395 8 8 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Jean Dockx Belgium DF 1971-1978 214 12 2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 2 Belgian Championships, 4 Belgian Cups
Georges Grün Belgium DF 1982-1990
1994–1996
258 31 1 UEFA Cup, 4 Belgian Championships, 2 Belgian Cups
Pierre Hanon Belgium DF/MF 1954-1970 353 31 9 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Georges Heylens Belgium DF 1960-1973 361 10 7 Belgian Championships, 3 Belgian Cups
Jef Jurion Belgium MF 1953-1968 390 73 8 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Henri Meert Belgium GK 1942-1960 343 1 8 Belgian Championships
Jef Mermans Belgium FW 1942-1957 384 343 7 Belgian Championships
Jacky Munaron Belgium GK 1974-1989 293 0 2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 1 UEFA Cup, 4 Belgian Championships, 4 Belgian Cups
Luc Nilis Belgium FW 1986-1994 223 124 4 Belgian Championships, 3 Belgian Cups
Silvio Proto Belgium GK 2005-2016 246 0 6 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Wilfried Puis Belgium FW 1960-1971 267 52 6 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Rob Rensenbrink Netherlands FW 1971-1980 262 143 2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 2 Belgian Championships, 4 Belgian Cups
Jan Ruiter Netherlands GK 1971-1977 179 0 1 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 2 Belgian Championships, 4 Belgian Cups
Jacques Stockman Belgium FW 1957-1966 236 142 5 Belgian Championships, 2 Belgian Cups
Jean Trappeniers Belgium GK 1959-1971 359 0 6 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Gilbert Van Binst Belgium DF 1968-1980 262 28 2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 2 Belgian Championships, 4 Belgian Cups
François Van der Elst Belgium FW 1971-1980 243 82 2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 1 Belgian Championship, 1 Belgian Cup
Paul Van Himst Belgium FW 1959-1975 457 233 8 Belgian Championships, 4 Belgian Cups
Franky Vercauteren Belgium MF 1975-1987 367 93 2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 1 UEFA Cup, 4 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Pär Zetterberg Sweden MF 1989-2000
2003–2006
284 72 6 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Vincent Kompany (in action for Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup) has a past as player and head coach of Anderlecht [31]

Other notable players include

Club staff

Position Staff
Manager Denmark Brian Riemer
Assistant Manager Belgium Roel Clement
Assistant Manager Mali Samba Diawara
First Team Coach Belgium Guillaume Gillet
Goalkeeper Coach Belgium Laurent Deraedt
Video Analyst Belgium Sandro Salamone
Physical Coach France Thibaut Meyer
Team Manager Belgium Tom Colpaert
Head Physio Belgium Niels Mathieu
Team doctor Belgium Luc Vanden Bossche
Physical Data Analyst Netherlands Josephine Knipschild
Physio Germany Tim Wattez
Belgium Simon Van Elewijck
Belgium Maarten Brecko
Masseur Belgium Kenny Dehaes
Netherlands Franky De Buyst
Nutritionist Belgium Stéphanie Scheirlynck
Mental Coach Belgium Michael Verschaeve
Kit Manager Belgium Kalid Boudraa
Belgium Michaël Lacroix
France Djorven Verlinden

Club presidents

Anderlecht Ownership
Owner President From To Notes
Belgium Group Concordia
Charles Roos
1908 1911
Belgium Group Concordia Belgium Théo Verbeeck 1911 1951 Former club player
Belgium Belgium Albert Roosens 1951 1971 Former club player
Belgium Constant Vanden Stock Belgium Constant Vanden Stock 1971 1996 Belgium national team manager
Belgium Constant Vanden Stock Belgium Roger Vanden Stock 1996 2008
Belgium Roger Vanden Stock Belgium Roger Vanden Stock 2008 2018 Son of Constant Vanden Stock
Belgium Marc Coucke Belgium Marc Coucke 2018 2020 Entrepreneur
Belgium Marc Coucke Belgium Wouter Vandenhaute 2020 Present Entrepreneur

Managers

There have been a total of 37 permanent managers and 3 caretaker managers of Anderlecht since the appointment of the first manager, Sylva Brébart, in 1920. The club's longest-serving manager is Englishman Bill Gormlie, who served during nine seasons between 1950 and 1959. Frenchman Georges Perino is the first Anderlecht manager to have claimed a trophy, with the first championship win in 1946–47. Seven Anderlecht managers have managed the club on two occasions: Ernest Churchill Smith, Pierre Sinibaldi, Urbain Braems, Raymond Goethals, Arie Haan, Johan Boskamp and Franky Vercauteren. Other managers have also played another role in the club before being appointed manager, including Jean Dockx, who served three times as caretaker before being appointed manager

Futsal

For the 2022/23 season, RSC Anderlecht took over the multiple UEFA Futsal Champions League participant and first division team FP Halle-Gooik. The team plays in Roosdaal, at the Belleheide Center, a new arena with a capacity of 1,200 spectators.

RSC Anderlecht will host a venue for the main round of the 2022/23 UEFA Futsal Champions League. After advancing in the main round, they were able to beat the previous year's winner, FC Barcelona, in the elite round of the UEFA Futsal Champions League due to a better goal difference. And now they are in the UEFA Champions League semifinals against Sporting Lisbon.

Other sections

In 1993, Brussels D71 became Anderlecht's women team. The team has won ten Leagues and eleven Cups since

Books

Notes

  1. ^ Career years given in full seasons and may not be entirely correct if the player made a late season debut or an early season retirement.
  2. ^ "League" matches includes Svenska Serien, Allsvenskan, Mästerskapsserien and Division 2 matches as well as qualification and play-off matches.
  3. ^ Note that a player may have been part of the team during one of its winning seasons but did not receive a medal due to too few played matches.

References

  1. ^ "Een nationaal stadion stamt uit de koloniale tijd". erasmix.be. 15 May 2013. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  2. ^ "UEFA coefficient". Archived from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  3. ^ "UEFA coefficient". Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  4. ^ "RSC Anderlecht official website". Archived from the original on 2 September 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  5. ^ "16 Surprising Facts About Constant Vanden Stock Stadium". facts.net/world/landmarks. 24 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Forest sues Anderlecht over '84 bribery scandal". BBC News. 24 December 1997. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2007.
  7. .
  8. ^ "Anderlecht crowned champions of Belgium By Berend Scholten". Berend Scholten on UEFA.com. 6 May 2012. Archived from the original on 11 May 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  9. ^ "Anderlecht edge Lokeren to lift Belgian Super Cup By Berend Scholten". Berend Scholten on UEFA.com. 22 July 2012. Archived from the original on 25 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  10. ^ "Indrukwekkend Anderlecht dwingt Manchester United tot het uiterste... maar kraakt in verlengingen" [Impressive Anderlecht forces Manchester United to the limit, but is eliminated in extra time]. nieuwsblad.be (in Dutch). 20 April 2017.
  11. ^ "Vijf jaar Coucke bij Anderlecht: geen stap dichter bij zijn Europese ambitie". demorgen.be (in Dutch). 21 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Crisis bij Anderlecht stilaan ongezien na nieuw verlies". bruzz.be (in Dutch). 7 April 2019.
  13. ^ "R.S.C. Anderlecht Tryouts". fcscout.com. 2 December 2022. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  14. ^ Een nationaal stadion stamt uit de koloniale tijd Archived 26 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine erasmix.be, 15 may 2013
  15. ^ "Histoire 1908–2005" (in French). Archived from the original on 2 September 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  16. ^ lej, mvd (20 June 2015). "Anderlecht speelt vanaf 2019 in nieuw stadion". Archived from the original on 26 June 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  17. ^ "UEFA EURO 2020 hosts to be revealed in Geneva". UEFA. 14 August 2014. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  18. ^ "Doodsteek dreigt voor Eurostadion". De Tijd (in Dutch). 29 April 2016. Archived from the original on 4 July 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  19. ^ "En nóg een mokerslag voor Eurostadion: verkeerde rechter en opnieuw extra vertraging" (in Dutch). Voetbalkrant.com. 6 May 2016. Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  20. ^ "Anderlecht stapt uit Eurostadion-project". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). 17 February 2017. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  21. ^ "EFS Attendances". Archived from the original on 5 April 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Anderlecht bevestigt: Constant Vanden Stockstadion wordt Lotto Park, bekijk hier de eerste beelden". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 12 July 2019. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  23. ^ "Rust zacht, Lange Jojo" (in Dutch). rsca.be. 1 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Lange Jojo zingt niet meer, maar "Olé,Olé, Olé" blijft klinken: zijn RSCA-lied wordt wereldhit". sporza.be. 1 December 2021.
  25. ^ "World League Topscorers 1889-2005". rsssf.org. 23 January 2024.
  26. ^ "A-Team". R.S.C. Anderlecht. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  27. ^ "Rensenbrink beste speler van Anderlecht allertijden". 16 May 2008. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  28. ^ "Soulier d'or belge du 20ème siècle". Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  29. ^ "Jef Mermans: bombardier van Anderlecht over de Bevrijding". boeken.doorbraak.be (in Dutch). 1 December 2022. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  30. ^ "Deschacht zet een punt achter schitterend carrière". Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.|access-date=30 April 2021
  31. ^ "Vincent Kompany retires from playing to become Anderlecht head coach". BBC. 17 August 2020. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.

External links