At Anderlecht, there have been quite a few important players who have passed through the club, either because they were trained there or because they were recruited by the scouts and the management.
But like all clubs, there were also cases that did not come to fruition and stars that the Mauves also missed. Eddy Vandaele, who worked for Anderlecht and who is now in Kortrijk, returned to a particular issue.
“An exceptional player”
“During the U20 World Cup in the Netherlands in 2005, I saw a truly exceptional little Argentinian left winger. With the ball at his feet, he was phenomenal. I quickly inquired and discovered that this man – a certain Lionel Messi – practically didn’t play for his club, FC Barcelona”, explains Vandaele to La Derniere Heure.
The recruiter then got to work straight away: “I immediately called Werner Deraeve, who was the director of our youth school, and told him that it was probably impossible, but who knows through a loan?
“Probably impossible”
“He made inquiries and called me back, telling me that Messi would soon start at Barcelona. But I was at this World Cup for a reason: I spotted Lucas Biglia there,” explains Vandaele.
Furthermore, the man also indicates that Franck Ribéry could have joined Anderlecht for 500,000 euros, but that the management was not keen on his arrival. The Frenchman was playing for Boulogne at the time.
Dries Mertens could also have been recruited for 700,000 euros after his good season at AGOVV, but Anderlecht was not interested. He then went to Utrecht and the rest is history.
Finally, Vandaele recognizes his own mistakes, like with Kristoffer Olsson. He also says he didn’t think Hans Vanaken and Marouane Fellaini were players for Anderlecht.
