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	Besnik Hasi
League	Belgian Pro League
2024–25	Belgian Pro League, 4th 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. They play in the Belgian First Division A.

Anderlecht is the most successful Belgian football team in Europe, having won five trophies. They also hold the record for the most Belgian championship wins, with 34 titles. The club won nine Belgian Cups and holds the record for winning five Belgian championships in a row from 1963 to 1968.

The club was started in 1908. They first reached the top level of Belgian football in 1921. Since 1935, they have continuously played in the first division. Their first major trophy was a championship win in 1947, after World War II.

Anderlecht has played their home matches in the Astrid Park since 1917. Their current stadium is called Lotto Park, which was renamed in 2019. Before that, it was known as Constant Vanden Stock Stadium. The team's colors are purple and white. They have big rivalries with Club Brugge and Standard Liège.

Club History

How Anderlecht Started

Anderlecht was founded on May 27, 1908. A group of football fans started the club at the Concordia café. They called it Sporting Club Anderlechtois. In their very first match, they won 11–8 against Institut Saint-Georges.

The club joined official competitions in 1909. They started at the lowest level of Belgian football. By 1912, they moved up to the second-highest level. Football championships stopped during World War I and started again in 1919. As the team became more popular, Anderlecht moved to a new stadium in the Astrid Park in 1917. They named it Stade Emile Versé to honor Emile Versé, who was a big supporter of the club.

Early Years and First Titles

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 moved up and down between divisions several times. This earned them the nickname "the lift club" from rival teams.

In 1933, the club changed its name to Royal Sporting Club Anderlechtois. Since 1935, Anderlecht has stayed in the top football league. With a star player named Jef Mermans, Anderlecht won their first league title in 1947. They continued to be very successful, winning six more titles between 1949 and 1956. They even won three titles in a row twice during this period.

Record-Breaking Wins

In the 1960s, under coaches Pierre Sinibaldi and Andreas Beres, Anderlecht achieved a Belgian league record. They won five titles in a row, from 1963 to 1968. A key player during this time was Paul Van Himst. He was the top scorer in 1965, 1967, and 1969. He also won the Belgian Golden Shoe award four times.

European Successes

Anderlecht first played in the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1955. They won their first European match in 1962, beating Real Madrid. In 1970, Anderlecht reached the final of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, but lost to Arsenal.

Between 1975 and 1984, Anderlecht had great success in Europe. They won the 1975–76 European Cup Winners' Cup and the 1977–78 European Cup Winners' Cup. They also won the European Super Cup twice in a row.

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

In the 1982–83 season, former player Paul Van Himst became the new coach. Anderlecht won the 1982–83 UEFA Cup that year. The club's stadium also started to be rebuilt. They tried to win the UEFA Cup again in 1983–84 but lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the final.

Later Championships and Cups

After finishing second three times in a row, Anderlecht won their 18th title in 1984–85. They won the championship again in 1985–86 after a play-off against Club Brugge. In 1986–87, they won their 20th championship on the very last day of the season.

Even after some key players left, the team won the Belgian Cup for the sixth time in 1988. They beat Standard Liège 2–0. The next year, Anderlecht won the cup again, also against Standard.

In the 1990s, Anderlecht reached another European final, the 1990 European Cup Winners' Cup final, but lost to Sampdoria. They won four more national championships and one cup during this decade. In the 2000s, Anderlecht added five more Belgian championship titles, reaching 29 titles by 2007. They also won another cup. In the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, they made it to the second group stage.

In 2009–10, Anderlecht won their 30th Belgian league title. In the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League, they became the first Belgian team to win all their group stage matches. 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 successful. However, with young players like Youri Tielemans and Leander Dendoncker, Anderlecht became champions again in the 2016–17 season.

Anderlecht played against Manchester United in the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League quarter-final in April 2017.

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

After businessman Marc Coucke took over the club in 2018, there were many changes. In the 2019–20 season, the club did not qualify for European competitions. This was the first time in 55 years that they missed out. However, in the 2023-24 season, Anderlecht finished 2nd in the regular season, showing they could compete for the championship again.

Club Colors and Badge

Anderlecht's shirt from the 1973–74 Season.

Anderlecht's official colors are purple and white. Their home kit is usually purple with white details. Sometimes, they have worn different colors, like black and purple in 2005–06 or grey in 2007–08. Purple was the main color of their shirts when the club started.

The exact reason for these colors is not fully known. One story says they come from a flower parade in Anderlecht. In this parade, the future Queen Elisabeth rode in a carriage decorated with white and purple orchids. Purple is also the color of the Belgian monarchy.

Anderlecht's colors have even inspired other football clubs. For example, Al Ain FC from the United Arab Emirates changed their colors to purple after seeing Anderlecht play in a tournament in 1977.

The club's motto, "Mens sana in corpore sano" (which means "a healthy mind in a healthy body"), is on its badge. The badge also has the letters "SCA," which stand for the club's first name, Sporting Club Anderlechtois. In 1933, when the club turned 25, they received a royal title. A crown was then added to their badge. In 1959, a new badge with two rings was created to mark the club's 50th anniversary.

Kit Evolution Over Time

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

Kit Sponsors

Crest Evolution

• 

  Crest of Anderlechtois (1933–1959). Similar to the crest of the Brussels based Union and Daring Molenbeek

• 

  Crest of Anderlechtois (1959–1979)
  Following the 50th anniversary

• 

  Crest of Anderlecht (1979–1989) The French-language name disappeared

• 

  Crest of Anderlecht (1989–2010)

• 

  Crest of Anderlecht (2010–2023)
  3 stars represent 30 titles

• 

  Crest of Anderlecht (2023–)
  All yellowish colors were converted to one golden color

Home Stadium

Fans at a home game against Cercle Brugge in April 2024.

Anderlecht plays its home matches at the Lotto Park stadium. It is located in the Astrid Park in Anderlecht. The stadium used to hold 40,000 fans, but for safety reasons, it now has 22,500 seats.

Anderlecht has been playing in the Astrid Park since 1917. That's when the Emile Versé Stadium was built. The stadium was completely rebuilt in 1983. It was then renamed in honor of the club's chairman at the time, Constant Vanden Stock. Before 1917, the club played on different pitches in the area. In 2013, the stadium was updated with new scoreboards and advertising screens.

There were plans for Anderlecht to move to a new 60,000-seat stadium called Eurostadium. This stadium was also meant to host the Belgium national team and 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 club's new owner, Marc Coucke, sold the naming rights of the Constant Vanden Stockstadion to Lotto. So, the stadium was renamed Lotto Park.

Club Anthem

Before every home match, the song "Anderlecht Champion" by Lange Jojo is played. It was released in 1985 after Anderlecht won the national championship. The song's chorus, "Oléé, Olé, Olé, Oléé," became a famous international sports anthem.

Supporters

A large display by Anderlecht fans with the club crest in 2015.

Anderlecht had the highest average attendance in the Belgian First Division for ten years, until 2004–05. Fans come from all over Belgium, not just the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht has 77 fan clubs, with 5 of them located outside Belgium. As of January 1, 2024, RSC Anderlecht had 4 million followers on social media. This is the highest number among Belgian football clubs.

Rival fans sometimes call Anderlecht supporters "dikkenekken." This Flemish term means "thick necks." It refers to their strong pride in their club. Recently, Anderlecht fans have also started using this term jokingly among themselves.

Anderlecht fans gathered before the 2025 Cup Final against Club Brugge.

Club Rivals

Anderlecht's main rivals are Standard Liège and Club Brugge. These three teams are known as the "Big Three" in Belgian football.

It is rare for players to move directly from Club Brugge to Anderlecht. When it happens, it often causes a lot of anger among fans. For example, when Lorenzo Staelens moved to Anderlecht in 1998, Club Brugge fans booed him during his last games for their club.

Player transfers between Anderlecht and Standard Liège are more common. However, a display by Standard fans in 2015, showing a beheaded Steven Defour (a former Standard player who moved to Anderlecht), caused a lot of controversy.

Club Achievements

•      record
• ^s shared record

Other Trophies

• Tournoi de Paris:
  • Winners (3): 1964, 1966, 1977
• Amsterdam Tournament:
  • Winners (1): 1976
• Mohammed V Cup:
  • Winners (1): 1976
• Tournoi Indoor de Paris-Bercy:
  • Winners (1): 1985
• Bruges Matins:
  • Winners (2): 1985, 1988
• Youth tournaments (selection):
  • Toulon Tournament (1): 1967, Future Cup (3): 2011, 2013, 2015, Torneo di Viareggio (1): 2013, Copa Amsterdam (1): 2015, Otten Cup (1): 2016, Kevin De Bruyne Cup (1): 2018

Individual Player Awards

• Belgian First Division topscorer:
  • 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)

Awards for the Club

• Belgian Sports Merit Award: 1978
• Belgian Sports Team of the Year: 2000

Individual Player Awards

Dennis Praet in 2016, the last Anderlecht player to win the Belgian Golden Shoe.

• Belgian Golden Shoe:
  • 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)
• Belgian Professional Footballer of the 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 Young Professional Footballer of the Season:
  • Bertrand Crasson (1990–91), Johan Walem (1991–92), Celestine Babayaro (1994–95, 1995–96), Walter Baseggio (1998–99, 1999–2000), Alin Stoica (2000–01), Vincent Kompany (2003–04, 2004–05), Lucas Biglia (2006–07), Youri Tielemans (2013–14, 2014–15), Yari Verschaeren (2018–19)
• Belgian Professional Goalkeeper of the Season:
  • Filip De Wilde (1993–94, 1999–2000), Daniel Zitka (2006–07), Silvio Proto (2011–12, 2012–13)
• Belgian Professional Manager of the Season:
  • Paul Van Himst (1982–83), Aimé Anthuenis (1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01), Hugo Broos (2003–04), Ariël Jacobs (2009–10), René Weiler (2016–17)
• Onze d'Or:
  • Rob Rensenbrink (1976)
• Danish Footballer of the Year:
  • Morten Olsen (1983)
• Swedish Golden Ball:
  • Pär Zetterberg (1997)
• Canadian Footballer of the Year:
  • Tomasz Radzinski (1998)
• Czech Footballer of the Year:
  • Jan Koller (1999)
• Hungarian Golden Ball:
  • Roland Juhász (2009, 2011)

Current Players

Team Roster

No. Position Player 2 DF Zoumana Keita 3 DF Lucas Hey 4 DF Jan-Carlo Simić 5 DF Moussa N'Diaye 6 DF Ludwig Augustinsson 7 MF Ilay Camara 8 MF Cedric Hatenboer 9 FW Mihajlo Cvetković 10 MF Yari Verschaeren 11 FW Thorgan Hazard 12 FW Kasper Dolberg 16 GK Mads Kikkenborg 17 MF Théo Leoni 18 MF Majeed Ashimeru 19 FW Nilson Angulo

No. Position Player 20 FW Luis Vázquez 21 FW César Huerta 22 FW Elyess Dao 23 MF Mats Rits 24 MF Enric Llansana 25 DF Thomas Foket 26 GK Colin Coosemans 29 MF Mario Stroeykens 54 DF Killian Sardella 55 DF Marco Kana 62 FW Keisuke Goto 63 GK Timon Vanhoutte 83 MF Tristan Degreef MF Nathan-Dylan Saliba

Players on Loan

No. Position Player DF Louis Patris (at Sint-Truiden until 30 June 2025) MF Alexis Flips (at Charleroi until 30 June 2025)

No. Position Player MF Cedric Hatenboer (at Excelsior Rotterdam until 30 June 2025)

RSCA Futures (Reserve and Youth Teams)

Famous Former Players

Most Successful 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
Martin Lippens		MF	1954–1966	232	52	7 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 World Cup) was both a player and coach for Anderlecht.

Other Notable Players

Club Staff

Position	Staff
Head Coach	Besnik Hasi
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
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

Franky Vercauteren had several roles, including manager, at Anderlecht.

Anderlecht has had 37 permanent managers and 3 temporary managers since 1920. The longest-serving manager was Englishman Bill Gormlie, who coached for nine seasons. Georges Perino was the first Anderlecht manager to win a trophy, the championship in 1947. Seven managers have coached the club twice. Some managers, like Jean Dockx, also played for the club before becoming coaches.

Youth Academy

Anderlecht's youth training complex is in Neerpede, a district in Anderlecht. The RSC Anderlecht youth academy is known as one of the best outside the top five European leagues. In August 2023, Jean Kindermans, the head of youth development, left the team after 16 years. Under his leadership, young players like Romelu Lukaku, Youri Tielemans, and Jérémy Doku became famous.

Women's Football Team

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

Other Sports Teams

Rugby Team

The oldest active rugby team in Belgium is R.S.C. Anderlecht Rugby, 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 racing series that ran from 2008 to 2011. Each race car in this competition was 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. They renamed it RSC Anderlecht Futsal. This team plays in Roosdaal at the Belleheide Center, which has seats for 1,200 fans.

RSCA Futsal hosted the main round of the 2022–23 UEFA Futsal Champions League. After moving past the main round, they beat the previous year's winner, FC Barcelona. The team then reached the UEFA Champions League semifinals but was eliminated by Sporting Lisbon.

See also

In Spanish: Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht para niños