Guillaume Ulens (175)
Royal Antwerp stems from the Antwerp Cricket Club, which was founded in 1880. Soccer became a focus for the club in 1887. The Cricket Club folded in 1892, but Antwerp FC continued to operate. In 1900, a bunch of Antwerp players left for local club Beerschot, which ignited a rivalry.
Antwerp FC received a royal charter in 1920 and became known as Royal Antwerp FC thereafter. In 1922 their rivals, Beerschot, became the first Antwerp club to win a Belgian title. Finally, Royal Antwerp won the 1928-29 national championship. Two years later, they added another title to the Royal Antwerp stats.
During WWII, Antwerp continued to play in competitions and won the 1944 Belgian title. They dropped in standings after the war, but managed to win the European Cup for the first time.
Since the 50s, Royal Antwerp have failed to win the Belgian Pro League. However, they’ve been near the top of the table on multiple occasions. They’ve also been near the bottom, as Antwerp got themselves relegated for the first time in 1968. They returned to the top division in the 70s and managed a couple of second-place finishes.
In 1992, Antwerp won their second Belgian Cup and participated in the 1992-93 European Cup Winners’ Cup. They made their first-ever European final in the competition, but lost to the Italian club Parma. However, just five years later, Royal Antwerp went back down to the second division after a last-place finish.
Antwerp bounced around the first and second divisions for a few years, but remained in the second tier from 2004 to 2017. Three years after their promotion, Antwerp won their third Belgian Cup and qualified for the Europa League group in 2021-22.
Betting advice for the 2022-23 season is often optimistic about Royal Antwerp. They brought in veteran defender Toby Alderweireld and Dutch international striker Vincent Janssen. At best, Royal Antwerp will be playing in the UEFA Europa Conference League. So, punters will not be able to bet on their Europa League odds this season.
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