Global Institute of Sport have opened up a new campus at Anderlecht’s Lotto Park, working in partnership with Vrije Universiteit Brussel. The historic ground opened in 1917 and has seen over 30 league titles and 64 major trophies.
The 22,500-capacity stadium has seen many a high-profile game, with Anderlecht being a frequent competitor in the Europa League and the Champions League. The ground also hosted a UEFA European Championship semi-final in 1972 between Hungary and the Soviet Union, in which the USSR ran out 1-0 winners.
The Belgium elite have seen a plethora of talent take to the pitch, whether that be for them, or coming up against them in the league, or Europe. Here we take a look at some of the big names to play for Anderlecht, past and present, as well as some of the more famous names to play against them.
Past and Current Players
Historically, one of the best players to have previously played for Anderlecht at Lotto Park comes in the form of Jan Mulder. The Dutch striker played for Anderlecht for the majority of his career, winning four league titles in the process.
The more notable past players of Anderlecht’s history will all be well-known to Premier League fans. Youri Tielemans and Aleksandar Mitrovic found themselves part of the same squad, with Tielemans fielding for the club from 2013-17, playing 139 times before moving on to French side Monaco.
Mitrovic did not last as long, making 69 appearances between 2013-15, scoring 36 goals in the process, before being snapped up by Newcastle United.
Romelu Lukaku is another high-profile name who previously played for the club, making 73 appearances between 2009-11, scoring 33 goals. Lukaku then made a high-profile move to Chelsea before being sent out on loan for the next few seasons.
Perhaps the biggest player in Anderlecht’s recent history, however, is Vincent Kompany. The Man City stalwart featured for the Belgium side between 2003-06, making 73 appearances before moving to German side Hamburg.
The defender made a sensational return to the club in 2019, leaving Premier League champions Manchester City for his boyhood club, returning as a player-manager. After retiring, Kompany became the permanent manager until 2022, when he departed to help Burnley in their quest to get back to the Premier League.
The most recent high-profile player to represent Anderlecht is Jeremy Doku. Despite making just 35 appearances, and scoring five goals, the Belgian made a big impression in his home country.
Doku left his homeland in 2020 for French club Stade Rennais, where he spent three years before making a big-money move to Manchester City.
There are also some current players that are well-known around the world. One name that will live long in the memory of Tottenham fans is that of Jan Vertonghen. The defender, who finished third in the 2018 World Cup with Belgium, is now captain of Anderlecht and has donned the armband since the 2023-24 season.
Eden Hazard’s younger brother, Thorgan Hazard, and Danish striker Kasper Dolberg are another two notable names currently playing their football at Lotto Park. Dolberg has featured 43 times scoring 16 goals, whilst Hazard has made 22 appearances, finding the back of the net on four occasions.
Anderlecht have looked to Premier League clubs this transfer window, and have loaned in Southampton’s Samuel Edozie, and Aston Villa’s Leander Dendoncker as they look to return to the summit of Belgian football for the first time since 2017.
Visiting Players
Whilst the list of players to play for the club, past or present, is impressive, the list of players to take to the field against Anderlecht is even more so, mainly due to their participation in European competitions.
In the 2014-15 season, Anderlecht were drawn against Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in Group D of the Champions League. The two games at Lotto Park both resulted in a loss, 2-1 and 3-0 respectively, with players such as Matt Hummels, Alexis Sanchez, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all fielded against them.
The French giants Paris Saint Germain have twice visited Lotto Park in the Champions League, the first in the 2013-14 season, which resulted in a 5-0 thrashing, where Zlatan Ibrahimović and Marco Verratti featured.
PSG also visited in the 2017-18 season on comfortably won again, 4-0 this time, with Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Angel Di Maria all finding the back of the net.
Six-time European champions Bayern Munich also played against Anderlecht at Lotto Park, during the 2017-18 season, in which the German side ran out 2-1 winners. Robert Lewandowski found the back of the net in this game, with Arjen Robben, Matt Hummels and James Rodriguez also featuring.
There have also been multiple Premier League sides travel to Lotto Park in the less prestigious European competitions. In the 2015-16 Europa League season, Anderlecht beat a Spurs side containing the likes of Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen, Kieran Trippier and Hugo Lloris.
Anderlecht also claimed an unlikely point in the 2016-17 Europa League season, holding Manchester United to a 1-1 draw, with Ibrahimović, Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba and Michael Carrick all taking to the field.
More recently, Jarred Bowen, Declan Rice and Lucas Paqueta all started in a 1-0 win for West Ham on their visit to Lotto Park, during the 2022-23 Europa Conference League. Anderlecht had a good run in the third-tier of European football that season, reaching the quarter-finals before being beaten by Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.
Anderlecht, and Lotto Park, have seen their fair share of talent take to the field, and this will long continue. Anderlecht are once again participating in the Europa League, having beat Dinamo Minsk in the Play-Off round.
Big European names will be in no short supply at Lotto Park this season, with German side Hoffenheim and former European champions Porto due to visit Belgium.
