Stéphane Demol, former RSC Anderlecht defender, passed away on Thursday at the age of 57. Steph will be sorely missed by our club and by Belgian football as a whole. RSC Anderlecht and its supporters offer their sincerest condolences to his family and all his friends at this difficult time.
Born in Watermael-Boitsfort, this true Brussels native was playing for FC Drogenbos - a stone's throw from Anderlecht - when Sporting spotted him at the age of fourteen. At the age of eighteen, Stéphane pulled on our first-team jersey for the very first time, and played for us until 1988, before going on to play for Bologna, Porto, Toulouse, Standard and Braga, among others.
At RSC Anderlecht, Stéphane contributed to three league titles (1985, 1986 & 1987) and a Belgian Cup (1988). Stéphane proudly wore our club colors on 76 occasions, scoring seven times. This included a memorable goal in the second leg of a historic away test match against Club Brugge in 1986.
These performances enabled him to take part in the even more historic World Cup in Mexico that same year, where he scored another vital goal in an unforgettable duel against the USSR. It was a goal that propelled the Red Devils into the semi-finals. In 38 matches, it was his only goal for the national team, but it will remain forever engraved in the history of Belgian football.
Thank you for everything. Rest in peace, Steph.
