YOUTH Anderlecht has a strong youth academy. Neerpede not only provides Anderlecht's first team, but has also developed players who now play across Europe. This article provides an overview of some of the most notable talents who distinguished themselves in Belgium last season.
Most attention is focused on Union, who won their twelfth title with three Neerpede-trained players:
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Continue reading Noah Sadiki, who spent twelve years at Neerpede, played a crucial role with two goals and six assists. He is transferring to Sunderland for €17 million. Alessio Castro-Montes, despite a less visible role due to injuries, contributed with two goals and five assists. Anouar Ait El Hadj found his place at Union, scoring five goals and providing seven assists in 39 matches.
At Racing Genk, Konstantinos Karestas, a young Greek who trained at both Anderlecht and Genk, excelled. He scored twice and provided four assists in 30 matches.
Charleroi, who reached European football, could count on Antoine Bernier, who made his mark with eight decisive plays in 28 matches.
Ilay Camara, who has now returned to Anderlecht, proved his worth at Standard Liège with six assists, while Matthieu Epolo, also a Neerpede product, delivered a solid performance with eleven clean sheets in 29 matches.
At Cercle Brugge, Kazeem Olaigbe, who trained at Anderlecht and Southampton and has since moved to Rennes in Ligue 1, stood out. Maxime Delanghe, who had stints at PSV and Lierse but spent ten years developing his skills at Neerpede, proved his worth at Cercle with ten clean sheets. Gary Magnée contributed four goals and six assists. He represented the purple colors for three years in the youth team.
And finally, Kobe Cools (Dender) and Antoine Colassin (transferred from Beerschot to Charleroi) also have a purple-and-white past.
