R.S.C. Anderlecht facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Anderlecht

Full name	Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht
Nickname(s)	Purple & White, Sporting (Dutch: Paars-wit; French: Les Mauve et Blanc)
Short name	R.S.C.A.
Founded	27 May 1908; 117 years ago (1908-05-27)
Ground	Constant Vanden Stock – Lotto Park
Ground Capacity	22,500
Chairman	Wouter Vandenhaute
Head coach	David Hubert
League	Belgian Pro League
2023–24	Belgian Pro League, 3rd of 16
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, often called RSC Anderlecht or RSCA, is a professional football club from Anderlecht, Brussels, Belgium. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian First Division A. It is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions, having won five trophies. They are also the most successful in the Belgian league, with 34 championship wins. The club has won nine Belgian Cups. They hold the record for winning five Belgian championship titles in a row, from 1963–64 to 1967–68.

The club was started in 1908. They first played in Belgium's top football league in 1921–22. Since 1935–36, they have continuously played in the first division. They started playing in European competitions in 1964–65. Anderlecht won their first big trophy after World War II in 1946–47. They have almost always finished in the top six of the Belgian first division. The only exceptions were in 2019–20 (8th place) and 2022–23. In 1986, they were ranked joint first in UEFA with Juventus.

Anderlecht has played their home games in the Astrid Park in Anderlecht since 1917. Their current stadium was renamed Lotto Park in 2019. Before that, it was called Constant Vanden Stock Stadium. It opened in 1983, replacing the old Emile Versé Stadium. The team wears purple and white uniforms. They have long-standing rivalries with Club Brugge and Standard Liège.

Club History and Achievements

The club was founded as Sporting Club Anderlechtois on May 27, 1908. A group of football fans started it at the Concordia café in Anderlecht. In their first game, they beat Institut Saint-Georges 11–8. They joined official competitions in 1909–10, starting at the lowest level.

In 1912–13, they moved up to the second-highest league. After just one season, games stopped because of World War I. When football started again in 1919–20, Anderlecht's popularity grew. They moved to a new stadium in Astrid Park in 1917. They named it Stade Emile Versé after Emile Versé, a big supporter of the club.

At the end of the 1920–21 season, Anderlecht was promoted to the first division for the first time. For the next 14 seasons, they were often promoted and relegated. This led rival clubs to call them the "lift club." In 1933, the club changed its name to Royal Sporting Club Anderlechtois. Since 1935, Anderlecht has stayed in the top league.

With Jef Mermans, a striker who joined in 1942, Anderlecht won their first league title in 1947. They became even more successful, winning six more titles between 1949–50 and 1955–56. They also won two more titles in 1958–59 and 1961–62. In the 1960s, under coaches Pierre Sinibaldi and Andreas Beres, the club won five titles in a row. This is still a Belgian league record! Paul Van Himst was a star player during this time.

Anderlecht played in the first European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1955–56. They won their first European match in the 1962–63 season against Real Madrid. In the 1969–70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Anderlecht lost in the final to Arsenal. Between 1975 and 1984, they won only one championship. However, they had great success in Europe. They won the 1975–76 and 1977–78 European Cup Winners' Cups. They also won the European Super Cup twice after those wins.

Anderlecht eliminated Twente to reach the 1977–78 European Cup Winners' Cup final.

The 1982–83 season was special for the club. Former player Paul Van Himst became the new coach. Anderlecht won the 1982–83 UEFA Cup. Also, the club's stadium started to be rebuilt. In 1983–84, they tried to win the UEFA Cup again but lost to Tottenham Hotspur.

After finishing second three times in a row, the Purple and Whites won their 18th title easily in 1984–85. They won the championship again in 1985–86. In 1986–87, Anderlecht won their 20th championship on the very last day. They then lost important players like Franky Vercauteren and Enzo Scifo. In 1988, they finished fourth but still won the Belgian Cup for the sixth time. They won it again the next year.

In the 1990s, Anderlecht reached another European final, the 1990 European Cup Winners' Cup Final. They lost to Italian club Sampdoria. After this, their European success declined. Their best results were reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1990–91 and 1996–97. In Belgium, they won four more championships and one cup.

In the 2000s, Anderlecht won five more Belgian championship titles, reaching 29 titles by 2007. They also won another cup. In the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, they reached the second group stage for the first time.

In 2009–10, the Purple and Whites won their 30th Belgian league title. In the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League, Anderlecht made history. They became the first Belgian team to finish the group stage with all possible points. On May 6, 2012, Anderlecht won their 31st Belgian championship. On July 22, they won their tenth Belgian Super Cup.

The 2014–15 and 2015–16 seasons were not as good for the team. But after René Weiler became coach, Anderlecht won the championship again in the 2016–17 season. They had young players like Youri Tielemans and Leander Dendoncker.

2016–17 UEFA Europa League quarter-final game in Manchester, April 2017.

In the Europa League, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Manchester United.

In 2018, businessman Marc Coucke took over the club. This led to many changes. In 2019–20, the club had a tough season. Even with club legend Vincent Kompany back, they did not qualify for European competitions. This was the first time in 55 years! After a few tough seasons, Anderlecht competed for the championship again in 2023–24. They finished 2nd in the regular season.

Team Colors and Badge

Anderlecht's colors are purple and white. Their home kit is usually purple with white details. Sometimes they have worn black and purple (2005–06) or grey (2007–08). Purple was the main color of their shirts from the beginning.

The club's motto, "Mens sana in corpore sano" (which means "A healthy mind in a healthy body"), is on their badge. The letters "SCA" are also on the badge. These letters stand for the club's first name, Sporting Club Anderlechtois. A crown was added in 1933 when the name changed to Royal Sporting Club Anderlechtois. Anderlecht's colors were inspired by Belgian immigrants in Antigua Guatemala. Purple is the color of Antigua and the Belgian monarchy.

Interestingly, Anderlecht's colors inspired the United Arab Emirates club Al Ain FC. They changed their colors to purple after seeing Anderlecht play in a friendly tournament in 1977.

Kit Evolution

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

Home Stadium

Atmosphere before a 2024 Champions' Play-offs home game against Cercle Brugge

Anderlecht plays its home games at the Lotto Park stadium. It is located in the Astrid Park in Anderlecht. The stadium can hold 22,500 people. Anderlecht has played in Astrid Park since the Emile Versé Stadium was built in 1917.

The stadium was completely rebuilt in 1983. It was renamed in honor of the chairman at that time, Constant Vanden Stock. Before 1917, the club played on a field in Rue du Serment/Eedstraat. Then they moved to a stadium in Rue Verheydenstraat. In 2013, the stadium was updated with new scoreboards and advertising.

Anderlecht had planned to move to a new 60,000-seat stadium called Eurostadium. It was supposed to be finished in 2019. This stadium would also be the home of the Belgium national team and host games for UEFA Euro 2020. However, the project faced many delays. In February 2017, Anderlecht decided not to be part of the project anymore.

In the 2018–19 season, Anderlecht had an average of 18,536 fans at their home league games. In July 2019, the new owner, Marc Coucke, sold the naming rights of the Constant Vanden Stockstadion to the company Lotto. The stadium was then renamed Lotto Park.

Club Anthem

Before every home match, the song "Anderlecht Champion" by Lange Jojo is played in the stadium. This song was released in 1985 in French and Flemish. It was made after Anderlecht won the national championship. The song was later changed into a Belgian national supporters' song. It was used at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. After that, the chorus "Oléé, Olé, Olé, Oléé" became a famous song used in sports and music all over the world.

Club Supporters

For ten years, until 2004–05, Anderlecht had the most fans attending games in the Belgian First Division. Anderlecht supporters come from all over Belgium. Only a small number of them are from the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht has 77 fan clubs. Five of these clubs are in other countries: one in France, one in Poland, one in Texas, USA, one in Montreal, Canada, and one in Sunderland, England.

Main Rivals

Anderlecht's biggest rivals are Standard Liège and Club Brugge. These three teams are known as the "Big Three" in Belgium. Very few players have moved from Club Brugge to Anderlecht. When it has happened, it often caused a lot of discussion and anger among fans.

Club Trophies

•      record
• ^s shared record

Other Trophies

• Bruges Matins:
  • Winners (2): 1985, 1988
• Tournoi de Paris:
  • Winners (3): 1964, 1966, 1977
• Toulon Tournament:
  • Winners (1): 1967
• Amsterdam Tournament:
  • Winners (1): 1976
• Mohammed V Cup:
  • Winners (1): 1976

Individual Player Awards

• Belgian Golden Shoe: This award goes to the best player in the Belgian league.
  • Jef Jurion (1957, 1962), Paul Van Himst (1960, 1961, 1965, 1974), Wilfried Puis (1964), Rob Rensenbrink (1976), Franky Vercauteren (1983), Enzo Scifo (1984), Marc Degryse (1991), Philippe Albert (1992), Pär Zetterberg (1993, 1997),  Gilles De Bilde (1994), Lorenzo Staelens (1999), Jan Koller (2000), Aruna Dindane (2003), Vincent Kompany (2004), Mbark Boussoufa (2006, 2010), Matías Suárez (2011), Dieumerci Mbokani (2012), Dennis Praet (2014)
• Professional Footballer of the Season: This award is for the best professional player each season.
  • Juan Lozano (1986–87), Marc Degryse (1989–90), Pär Zetterberg (1996–97, 1997–98), Walter Baseggio (2000–01), Aruna Dindane (2003–04), Vincent Kompany (2004–05), Mohammed Tchité (2006–07), Mbark Boussoufa (2008–09, 2009–10), Matías Suárez (2011–12), Youri Tielemans (2016–17)
• Belgian First Division Topscorer: This award goes to the player who scores the most goals in the league.
  • Jef Mermans (1946–47, 1947–48, 1949–50), Hippolyte Van Den Bosch (1953–54), Jacky Stockman (1961–62), Paul Van Himst (1963–64, 1965–66, 1967–68), Jan Mulder (1966–67), Robbie Rensenbrink (1972–73), Attila Ladynski (1973–74), François Van Der Elst (1976–77), Erwin Vandenbergh (1982–83, 1985–86), Arnór Guðjohnsen (1986–87), Eddie Krncevic (1988–89), Tomasz Radzinski (2000–01), Nenad Jestrović (2004–05), Romelu Lukaku (2009–10), Aleksandar Mitrović (2014–15), Łukasz Teodorczyk (2016–17), Hamdi Harbaoui (2017–18)
• European League Topscorer: Jef Mermans (1949–50)
• European Cup Topscorer: Paul Van Himst (1966–67)
• World League Topscorer: Jef Mermans (1949–50)

Current Players

Team Roster

No. Position Player 4 DF Jan-Carlo Simić 5 DF Moussa N'Diaye 6 DF Ludwig Augustinsson 7 FW Francis Amuzu 10 MF Yari Verschaeren 11 FW Thorgan Hazard 12 FW Kasper Dolberg 13 DF Mathias Jørgensen 14 DF Jan Vertonghen (captain) 16 GK Mads Kikkenborg 17 MF Théo Leoni 18 MF Majeed Ashimeru 19 FW Nilson Angulo 20 FW Luis Vázquez

No. Position Player 21 MF Amadou Diawara 23 MF Mats Rits 25 DF Thomas Foket 26 GK Colin Coosemans 27 MF Samuel Edozie (on loan from Southampton) 29 MF Mario Stroeykens 32 MF Leander Dendoncker (on loan from Aston Villa) 36 FW Anders Dreyer 54 DF Killian Sardella 55 DF Marco Kana 72 MF Nathan De Cat 73 MF Amando Lapage 83 MF Tristan Degreef

Players on Loan

No. Position Player DF Louis Patris (at Sint-Truiden until 30 June 2025) MF Ishaq Abdulrazak (at Odd until 31 December 2024) MF Alexis Flips (at Charleroi until 30 June 2025)

RSCA Futures (Reserve and Youth Teams)

Famous Players

Rob Rensenbrink, voted the club's best player of the 20th century	Paul Van Himst, voted Belgium's best player of the 20th century	Jef Mermans, the club's all-time top scorer (367 goals in 399 games)	Olivier Deschacht played the most games for Anderlecht (602)

Name	Nationality	Position	RSC Anderlecht career	League record		Honours
				Apps	Goals
Hugo Broos		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		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		DF	1958-1971	287	6	7 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Bertrand Crasson		DF	1989-1996 1998–2003	291	19	6 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Michel De Groote		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		GK	1987-1996 1998–2003	369	0	6 Belgian Championships, 3 Belgian Cups
Olivier Deschacht		DF	2001-2018	395	8	8 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Jean Dockx		DF	1971-1978	214	12	2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 2 Belgian Championships, 4 Belgian Cups
Georges Grün		DF	1982-1990 1994–1996	258	31	1 UEFA Cup, 4 Belgian Championships, 2 Belgian Cups
Pierre Hanon		DF/MF	1954-1970	353	31	9 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Georges Heylens		DF	1960-1973	361	10	7 Belgian Championships, 3 Belgian Cups
Jef Jurion		MF	1953-1968	390	73	8 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Henri Meert		GK	1942-1960	343	1	8 Belgian Championships
Jef Mermans		FW	1942-1957	384	343	7 Belgian Championships
Jacky Munaron		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		FW	1986-1994	223	124	4 Belgian Championships, 3 Belgian Cups
Silvio Proto		GK	2005-2016	246	0	6 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Wilfried Puis		FW	1960-1971	267	52	6 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Rob Rensenbrink		FW	1971-1980	262	143	2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 2 Belgian Championships, 4 Belgian Cups
Jan Ruiter		GK	1971-1977	179	0	1 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 2 Belgian Championships, 4 Belgian Cups
Jacques Stockman		FW	1957-1966	236	142	5 Belgian Championships, 2 Belgian Cups
Jean Trappeniers		GK	1959-1971	359	0	6 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup
Gilbert Van Binst		DF	1968-1980	262	28	2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 2 Belgian Championships, 4 Belgian Cups
François Van der Elst		FW	1971-1980	243	82	2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 1 Belgian Championship, 1 Belgian Cup
Paul Van Himst		FW	1959-1975	457	233	8 Belgian Championships, 4 Belgian Cups
Franky Vercauteren		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		MF	1989-2000 2003–2006	284	72	6 Belgian Championships, 1 Belgian Cup

Vincent Kompany (playing for Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup) was a player and coach for Anderlecht.

Other notable players include:

• Philippe Albert
• Henrik Andersen
• Lucas Biglia
• Mbark Boussoufa
• Marc Degryse
• Jérémy Doku
• Arnór Guðjohnsen
• Arie Haan
• Jan Koller
• Vincent Kompany
• Juan Lozano
• Romelu Lukaku
• Aleksandar Mitrović
• Jan Mulder
• Charly Musonda
• Morten Olsen
• Tomasz Radzinski
• Graeme Rutjes
• Enzo Scifo
• Matías Suárez
• Youri Tielemans
• Jean Thissen
• Erwin Vandenbergh
• René Vandereycken

Club Staff and Management

Club Staff

Position	Staff
Head Coach	David Hubert
Assistant Coach	Roel Clement Jan Michaelsen
Sporting Director	Olivier Renard
First Team Coach	Guillaume Gillet
Goalkeeper Coach	Laurent Deraedt
Video Analyst	Sandro Salamone
Physical Coach	Thibaut Meyer
Team Manager	Tom Colpaert
Head Physio	Niels Mathieu
Team doctor	Luc Vanden Bossche
Physical Data Analyst	Josephine Knipschild
Physio	Tim Wattez Simon Van Elewijck Maarten Brecko
Masseur	Kenny Dehaes Franky De Buyst
Nutritionist	Stéphanie Scheirlynck
Mental Coach	Michael Verschaeve
Kit Manager	Kalid Boudraa Michaël Lacroix Djorven Verlinden

Club Presidents

Anderlecht Ownership

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

Club Managers

Anderlecht has had 37 main managers and 3 temporary managers since Sylva Brébart became the first manager in 1920. The manager who stayed the longest was Englishman Bill Gormlie. He worked for nine seasons between 1950 and 1959. Frenchman Georges Perino was the first Anderlecht manager to win a trophy, with the championship in 1946–47. Seven Anderlecht managers have coached the club twice. These include Ernest Churchill Smith, Pierre Sinibaldi, Urbain Braems, Raymond Goethals, Arie Haan, Johan Boskamp, and Franky Vercauteren. Some managers, like Jean Dockx, also had other roles at the club before becoming manager.

Women's Football Team

In 1993, a team called Brussels Dames 71 became Anderlecht's women's team. This team has won ten Leagues, seven Super Leagues, and eleven Belgian Cups since then.

Other Sports Teams

Rugby Team

The oldest active rugby team in Belgium is R.S.C. Anderlecht Rugby. It was started in 1931. This club has won the Belgian Elite League a record 20 times.

Superleague Formula Team

The Superleague Formula car.

The Superleague Formula was a special car racing series that ran from 2008 to 2011. In this competition, each race car was usually linked to an international football club. The team of R.S.C. Anderlecht won the championship in the 2010 season.

Futsal Team

For the 2022–23 season, RSC Anderlecht took over the futsal club FP Halle-Gooik. This club played in the First Division and often in the UEFA Futsal Champions League. They renamed it RSC Anderlecht Futsal. The team plays in Roosdaal, at the Belleheide Center. This is a new arena that can hold 1,200 fans.

RSCA Futsal hosted the main round of the 2022–23 UEFA Futsal Champions League. They moved past the main round. Then, in the elite round, they beat the previous year's winner, FC Barcelona, because they had a better goal difference. The team then reached the UEFA Champions League semifinals. They were eliminated by Sporting Lisbon.

See also

In Spanish: Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht para niños