Youth coach René Peeters is retiring after 27 seasons with RSC Anderlecht. 'RP' will be celebrated in the stadium during the Croky Cup quarter-final against AA Gent. First, we look back with René at all those wonderful years at Anderlecht.
“I don’t know anything other than Anderlecht.” It may sound like a cliché, but in the case of René Peeters, it is the only accurate description. Born in the Bon Air neighbourhood in Anderlecht, he played in every youth category before spending a season with the first team. In a star-studded squad with the likes of Ludo Coeck, Frank Vercauteren and Juan Lozano, chances were limited. His playing career continued at lower levels, until he joined Sporting as coach of the U9s in 1999 - the start of 27 (!) seasons as a youth coach at the country’s most prestigious club.
Now that René - ‘RP’ for the countless young players he guided - is retiring, he takes a moment to reflect. “A poor first touch in youth football? That’s a dráma, you know.”
From Kompany and Vanden Borre to Lukaku, Tielemans and Verschaeren
“I really rolled into coaching by accident. I was still playing, got injured for a while, and often went to watch the youth training sessions. My brother was doing scouting here, still under Paul Courant. I kept wondering: how do you judge whether new players are as good or better than the players we already have? That’s how we started organising training sessions with our best youth players and adding trialists. That’s how I led my very first sessions, thanks to Jean-Claude Collignon. The club also wanted former players to learn the trade here. So I moved up from U9 to U10, U14 and U16.”
It was with the U16 that René crossed paths with players like Vincent Kompany and Anthony Vanden Borre. “We’ve had so many talented generations, like the ‘86 (Kompany) and ‘87 (Vanden Borre) groups. But look, I don’t want to claim too much credit. One coach never makes a player. You’re just a small link in their development. I mostly had a lot of fun with those guys. The list is long: Romelu Lukaku, Chancel Mbemba, Orel Mangala, Dodi Lukebakio… And later: Youri Tielemans and Yari Verschaeren. But also guys like Theo Leoni. And players who never fully made it as professionals but were huge talents: Tom Van Hyfte, Jonas Vandermarliere. They all gave me so much joy.”
Viareggio
After the U16s, René progressed quickly to the older categories. Picking his favourite memories from a 27-year career is no easy task. “If I really have to choose, I’d say the Viareggio tournaments. Before the Youth League existed, that was our main benchmark, especially for the U23s. My first time there was with Daniel Renders as head coach. We reached the semi-finals but were eliminated by AS Roma - a certain Stefano Okaka played for them back then. Later we were often knocked out early. The first time I went as head coach, we reached the final and beat AC Milan. Davy Roef was in goal, with Michael Heylen and Chancel Mbemba in central defence. We also had Jordan Lukaku, Leander Dendoncker, Frank Acheampong, Momo Soumaré, Mehdi Tarfi, Anthony D’Alberto… A fantastic team.”
“The following year we received a wildcard, meaning we could start straight in the round of 16. I felt the squad was slightly less strong, so we chose to start in the group stage anyway. We qualified, faced Inter immediately and eliminated them - then Atalanta and Palermo in the quarter- and semi-finals. Another final, again against AC Milan. Truly unforgettable experiences.”
A culture of winning
René took on many roles over the years - sometimes assistant, sometimes head coach of the U23s or other youth teams. In 2014-15 he became assistant coach of Besnik Hasi with the first team. Still, he never aspired to become head coach himself.
“I always chose Anderlecht. Of course, when you perform well at tournaments like Viareggio, you get phone calls. But I had a specific goal and a clear example. When I was a youth player, you had Martin Lippens, who as the first-team assistant always looked after the young boys. My ambition was to follow in his footsteps. After a season with the first team, I returned to the youth as planned - and gladly so. I simply love working with young players. Seeing them evolve, pushing them, finding out how far we can take them: that’s the essence of the job. And a challenge too, because I’ve also coached many truly gifted youngsters who never made it as professionals.”
“I recently read a quote from Vincent Kompany, now coaching Bayern. He spoke about the winning mentality he developed at Anderlecht, what he called ‘the Neerpede spirit’. I understood exactly what he meant. We went to all the international tournaments and were never intimidated. There was always pride, confidence. And we were good - we won a lot. The Future Cup at Ajax, for example, with Dennis Praet as best player in 2011. Even last year in Korea, and four years ago in China, where we beat Inter in the final. That’s what makes Neerpede unique.”
“People often talk about the ‘Anderlecht DNA’. You can define it however you like, but I was truly born with it. Born in Anderlecht, experienced it as a player, coached all those generations. Put simply: if you fail to control the ball properly at youth level, that’s a dráma. You must always meet the technical standard. Technique, technique, technique. Football has evolved, yes, and we need to add new aspects. But someone who can only run will never succeed at Anderlecht. Vincent, Youri, Anthony, Romelu - they are the prototypes. And you also had Mertens, Lukebakio, you name it. All technically gifted.”
“That’s one of my obsessions and something I will always be demanding about: sharpness and technical quality. If you suddenly have to play at the Lotto Park, you need to understand that our supporters won’t accept you miscontrolling the ball five times. That just doesn’t fly here.”
Patience
Which brings us to his final message for the club’s young players. The answer comes instantly.
“Geduld. Patience. I say it all the time. Young players today have so little of it. Everything has to go fast. I don’t know why. You have to work toward a goal and take your time. Yes, there are always examples of how fast it can go - look at Lamine Yamal or Jérémy Doku. But those are exceptions. Even Romelu, physically so advanced, had to wait a long time before playing with the U23s while scoring and assisting every week with the U19s. Today everything has to go fast - often due to pressure from agents, parents, clubs. My advice: invest in your career, especially in your developmental years. Because once you reach the first team, you must be ready. There is no going back.”
And now, René? “I’m retiring. I’m going to take some real time off. All these years I worked six days out of seven. It never felt like work, but it was constant. There was little time for anything else. My plan now is to enjoy life. If I start missing it, maybe I’ll do something in football again. But one thing is certain: I will never work in youth football for another Belgian club. That’s simply impossible for me. I’ve never known anything other than RSC Anderlecht. Had I mentioned that already? (laughs)”
Merci pour tout, RP.
*RSCA thanks Franky De Meyer for the archival images of René.