Standard Liège facts for kids
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Full name | Royal Standard de Liège | |||
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Nickname(s) | Les Rouches (The Reds) | |||
Founded | 1898 | |||
Ground | Stade Maurice Dufrasne | |||
Capacity | 27,670 | |||
Owner | 777 Partners | |||
Head coach | Mircea Rednic | |||
League | Belgian Pro League | |||
2023–24 | Belgian Pro League, 12th of 16 | |||
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Royal Standard de Liège, often called Standard Liège, is a professional football club from Liège, Belgium. They are one of Belgium's most successful teams.
The club has won the Belgian league ten times. Their most recent wins were in 2007–08 and 2008–09. Standard Liège has been in the top football league since 1921. This is longer than any other Belgian team.
They have also won eight Belgian Cups. In 1981–82, they reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup. They lost that game 2–1 to Barcelona.
Standard players are known as les Rouches. This nickname comes from their red jerseys. The French word for red is rouge. When spoken with a Liège accent, it sounds like rouche.
In March 2022, a company called 777 Partners bought Standard Liège. However, in October 2024, 777 Partners faced financial difficulties. This means the future ownership of the club is currently uncertain.
Contents
History of Standard Liège
How the Club Started
Standard Liège began in September 1898. Students from Collège Saint-Servais in Liège created the football club. They named it after the Standard Athletic Club in Paris.
The club's full name is Royal Standard Club of Liège. It was first located in Cointe and Grivegnée. In 1909, the club moved to Sclessin, an industrial area in Liège. Standard joined the Belgian First League in 1909. After a few years in lower leagues, they returned to the top division in 1921. They have stayed there ever since.
Early Successes
After World War II, Roger Petit, a former player, became the club's general secretary. He worked with President Henrard Paul to make Standard a top Belgian team. In 1954, Standard won its first trophy, the Belgian Cup. Soon after, they won their first national league title in 1957–58.
In the 1960s, Standard Liège did well in European competitions. They reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1961–62. They lost to Real Madrid in that match. They also reached the semi-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1966–67. They lost to Bayern Munich that year.

The 1960s and early 1970s were very successful for the club. Standard won six Belgian First Division titles. They also won two Belgian Cups and one League Cup.
Challenges and Triumphs
In 1981, Standard won the Belgian Cup again. This was under the coach Ernst Happel. The next year, Raymond Goethals became the coach. Under his guidance, the club won the Belgian championship twice. They also won the Belgian Supercup twice.
In 1982, they reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup. Standard played against Barcelona at the Camp Nou stadium. They lost the match 1–2.
In 1984, the club faced a difficult situation. This was known as the Standard-Waterschei Affair. It involved some players and the coach. The club was affected by this for several years. Many players were suspended, and it took time for Standard to recover.
On June 6, 1993, Standard won the Belgian Cup for the fifth time. They beat Charleroi in Brussels. This led to another appearance in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. However, they lost badly to Arsenal, with a total score of 10–0 over two games.
Recent Achievements
After the 1982 incident, it took 25 years for Standard to win the Belgian Championship again. They won the title on April 20, 2008. The club won the Belgian league again the next year, on May 24, 2009. They secured their tenth league title after playing against their rivals Anderlecht.
Standard won the national cup once more in 2011. They defeated Westerlo 2–0 in the final on May 21, 2011. Businessman Roland Duchatelet bought the club on June 23, 2011. He later bought the English club Charlton, creating a link between the two clubs.
On October 20, 2014, Guy Luzon stepped down as manager. The club was in 12th place in the league. Assistant coach Ivan Vukomanović took over temporarily.
Golden Shoe Winners
Nine Standard players have won the Belgian Golden Shoe. This award is given to the best player in the Belgian league.
- Jean Nicolay won in 1963.
- Wilfried Van Moer won in 1969 and 1970.
- Christian Piot won in 1972.
- Eric Gerets won in 1982.
- Sérgio Conceição won in 2005.
- Steven Defour won in 2007.
- Axel Witsel won in 2008.
- Milan Jovanović won in 2009.
Stadium Information
Standard Liège plays at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne. People often call it Sclessin, which is the name of the area where it's located. Maurice Dufrasne was the fifth chairman of Standard. He helped move the club to Sclessin in 1909.
When it first opened, it was just a field. Players had to change in a nearby pub. A year later, the first stand was built. By 1924, the stadium could hold 24,000 fans. Around 1970, it reached its largest size, with space for 43,000 spectators.
The stadium got a new main stand in 1985. Seven years later, in 1992, work started on the stand on the opposite side. Both ends of the stadium were updated in the late 1990s. This was done to prepare for the Euro 2000 tournament.
Club Rivalries
Standard Liège fans have a strong rivalry with RSC Anderlecht. This match is called the Belgian "Clasico". This rivalry is about more than just the cities of Liège and Brussels. It also shows a difference in social background. Anderlecht is seen as a team for the wealthy, while Standard, from an industrial area, is seen as a workers' club. For a long time, these two teams were the most successful in Belgium.
Many players have played for both clubs. One famous example is Steven Defour. When he returned to Sclessin playing for Anderlecht, fans showed a large banner with his image.
Standard also has local rivalries with RFC Seraing and RFC Liège. In recent years, they have also developed a rivalry with another Walloon club, Sporting Charleroi. Some of these matches have been stopped because of crowd issues between the fans.
Matches against clubs from Limburg, like Racing Genk and STVV, also have high tension. This is because Genk and Sint-Truiden are close to Liège. These regions also share a history in mining and steel industries. The rivalry with Racing Genk grew stronger after an event on May 17, 2011. In a title match, Standard player Mehdi Carcela was hit in the face by a tough tackle from Genk's defender Chris Mavinga. Carcela was injured and had to leave the game. Genk went on to draw the match 1–1 and win the title. This left many Standard fans feeling upset.
Club Honours
Type | Competition | Titles | Seasons | Ref. |
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Domestic | Belgian First Division | 10 |
1957–58, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1981–82, 1982–83, 2007–08, 2008–09 |
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Belgian Cup | 8 |
1953–54, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1980–81, 1992–93, 2010–11, 2015–16, 2017–18 |
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Belgian League Cup | 1 |
1975 |
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Belgian Supercup | 4 |
1981, 1983, 2008, 2009 |
Continental Honours
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
- Runners-up (1): 1981–82
- UEFA Intertoto Cup
- Runners-up (1): 1996
Invitational Honours
- Amsterdam Tournament:
- Runners-up (1): 1981
- Mohammed V Cup:
- Champions (1): 1986
European Record
Competition | A | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA |
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European Cup / UEFA Champions League | 14 | 58 | 25 | 10 | 23 | 87 | 73 |
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 6 | 36 | 19 | 5 | 12 | 68 | 49 |
UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League | 23 | 139 | 59 | 35 | 45 | 193 | 182 |
UEFA Intertoto Cup | 3 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 25 | 16 |
A = appearances (how many times they played in the competition), GP = games played, W = won, D = drawn, L = lost, GF = goals for, GA = goals against.
Summary of Best Results
Here are Standard Liège's best results from the quarter-finals onwards in European competitions:
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- Semifinalists in 1962
- Quarterfinalists in 1959, 1970 and 1972
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- Runners-up in 1982
- Semifinalists in 1967
- Quarterfinalists in 1968
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- Quarterfinalists in 1981 and 2010
- UEFA Intertoto Cup (1):
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- Runners-up in 1996
- Semifinalists in 2000
UEFA Club Ranking
This ranking is from May 21, 2025.
Rank | Team | Points |
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140 | ![]() |
11.500 |
141 | ![]() |
11.370 |
142 | ![]() |
11.370 |
143 | ![]() |
11.370 |
144 | ![]() |
11.250 |
Players
Current Squad
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SL16 FC (Reserve Team)
SL16 FC is the reserve team for Standard Liège. These are players under 23 years old. They play in the third-tier Belgian National Division 1.
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Players on Loan
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Notable Players
Most Appearances
Rank | Player | Standard career | Apps |
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1 | ![]() |
1983–2000 | 474 |
2 | ![]() |
1981–96, 1997–98 | 469 |
3 | ![]() |
1978–91 | 465 |
4 | ![]() |
1959–74 | 449 |
Most Goals
Rank | Player | Standard career | Goals (App.) |
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1 | ![]() |
1929–44 | 245 (285) |
2 | ![]() |
1956–68 | 161 (229) |
3 | ![]() |
1919–35 | 124 (275) |
Team Captains
The player's name is in bold when Standard won a title during their time as captain.
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Club Officials
Coaches
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See also
In Spanish: Standard de Lieja para niños