How the Anderlecht youth academy has put Belgium’s heroes on the brink of the World Cup final
No fewer than eight players representing Belgium at this year's World Cup have come through the ranks of Anderlecht, the country's most famous football club
THERE must be something in the water in Brussels.
At Anderlecht's famed youth academy they're producing talents that have helped Belgium reach their first ever World Cup semi-final.
No fewer than eight of their 23-man squad have come through the ranks of the country's most successful club, and they've all played their part in getting Belgium this far.
Romelu Lukaku, Michy Batshuayi, Marouane Fellaini, Vincent Kompany, Youri Tielemans, Dries Mertens, Adnan Januzaj and Leander Dendoncker have all made appearances in Russia - and they were all products of the "Purple Talent Programme".
Set-up in 2007, the blueprint for the project allows the club to collaborate with local schools to get more access to their young players, while ensuring they get an education.
Lukaku's father Roger was the man who originally mooted the idea to Anderlecht bosses.
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"It was Romelu’s father who pushed us to start collaborations with schools,"academy director Jean Kindermans told .
"At 15-years-old he was becoming famous and there was a lot of interest.
"He told me 'Lille, Lens, Auxerre and Saint-Étienne are all interested in my son and all of those clubs can provide him with school, accommodation and football education. There’s everything'.”
Coaches at the Purple Talent Programme devise morning sessions for the club's biggest talents, who take a break from their studies to hone their skills at the Anderlecht Training Centre.
"The programme includes morning sessions which our professional coaches give to our most talented players in the schools," Kindermans continued.
"These individual classes are based on the technical development of players. We have a club philosophy which places importance on technical perfection and collegiate intelligence in school.
"Romelu spent an hour on finishing every morning before continuing with academic studies.
“We don’t like to swamp children’s minds with too much information. It’s better to work intensely for short periods of time than to do the same things at a slower pace for longer amounts of time.
"Being around other things and socialising with people with various hobbies and interests is key.”
The setting for Anderlecht's Training Centre couldn't be more plush - based on the outskirts of Brussels, it's surrounded by greenery. But it's not as hi-tech as you'd imagine.
More tellingly though, it's close to a number of the city's biggest schools, so the kids can dart in and out of class with ease.
The boys selected to play for their youth teams are mostly local, simply because of geography.
“We try to have the best Brussels players before we move to 11-a-side-football at under-13," Kindermans said.
"So with lads from under-6 to under-12, we only focus on the ones living in the local area.
"Depending on the character, age, culture and parents, we will look at youngsters from further away if they are extra special – but it’s very hard to tear a boy of that age from their family – though it’s better to stay with a guest family than spend two or three hours in a traffic jam.”
Throughout the tournament, Belgium have adopted a 3-4-3 formation to get the best out of their attacking trio of Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Lukaku.
Against Brazil they switched to a 4-3-3 with false nine that helped Roberto Martinez's side to a 2-1 victory.
It's no coincidence that kids that come through the Purple Training Programme are taught to master those two systems.
“Our academy has a set system of 3-4-3 that develops into a 4-3-3 at under-15 level; but we must be flexible,” Kindermans explained.
“It depends on our strengths and weaknesses, the opponent, the period of the season and the weight of the game.
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"Once you are 16 or 17-years-old, we expect you to be winning whilst playing the Anderlecht way.
"The younger groups have a comfort zone where they’ll be in 3-4-3 shapes but players will change positions regularly.
"I’m not the Godfather, but I believe that creating versatile players will assist in developing intelligent, rounded human beings.
";If they comply, listen and work hard here then who knows what heights they may reach?”
For those eight that have learnt their profession through the Purple Training Programme, they'll be hoping it takes them to World Cup glory.