by Four years ago, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise had not seen the light of top-level football for almost 50 years. They are now favorites to claim championship glory this season.
You would be forgiven if you were not very familiar with the events of the Belgian Jupiler Pro League.
However, as this term’s title picture becomes ever clearer, a great redemption story could be about to reach its fairytale conclusion.
Union Saint-Gilloise made a long-awaited top-flight return in 2021 – and since then, a host of potential world champions have come and gone through their doors, helping propel them to unprecedented heights before.
Boasting a new status as a great breeding ground for young stars, they enter this season’s championship playoffs with a real claim to the title.
This is no star-aligned, Leicester City-style fluke. In fact, the Union are now regulars in the Belgian title race, and this is their third campaign in a row in the title rounds.
It’s a rise to prominence like no other in Europe’s top divisions. But until now, it has largely gone under the radar.
From obscurity to the Champions League
Historically, Union Saint-Gilloise is one of the most successful clubs in Belgian football, with 11 league titles – a trophy haul topped only by local rivals Anderlecht and giants Club Brugge.
However, for years, glory was just a thing of the past for the Brussels club. After relegation in the 1972/73 season, they did not see a glimpse of the top flight for 48 years.
Promotion from the second division in 2021 ended their half-century absence from Belgium’s upper echelons. It was a long overdue return, and as such, the sleeping giants looked to come back with a bang.
In their first season in the Pro League, they would top the table – only to be beaten to the title in the playoffs at the end of the season.
The Belgian league system is unique in that the title is decided by a championship play-off round, contested by the top six teams from the 30-game regular season.
Each team starts with half the points they accrued during the regular campaign. They then play each opponent twice and the team with the most points at the end of the stage takes the title.
The Union finished second in the play-off stage, securing them Champions League qualification for next season, a first in their history.
Their journey into Europe’s premier competition was short-lived in the third qualifying round – but after dropping into the Europa League, they rallied to reach the quarter-finals.
Now, in their third campaign since promotion, Union are once again a major force in the title picture. After going an incredible 25 games without defeat in the league, they enter the championship finals as the Pro League table toppers, finishing the regular season seven points clear.
This gives them a three-point lead at the top as they begin their play-off campaign – a further source of motivation as they look to maintain their hold on top spot.
It may sound like the old days, but it’s a sharp comparison to a few years ago.
A fruitful relationship
Behind their incredible rise has been their ability to find some of Europe’s untapped stars – which has contributed to their status as Brighton’s sister team.
Seagulls owner Tony Bloom has a minority stake in Union Saint-Gilloise, and while the Belgian club are keen to dispel any perception that they are a ‘feeder team’, there is no doubt that they have benefited from Brighton’s wealth of talent.
Kaoru Mitoma was the first big legend to ply his trade in Brussels – a player familiar to all Capital City fans.
Lighting up Belgium during the Union’s first season back in the Pro League, Mitoma returned to Brighton 12 months later with valuable experience – and has since gone on to become one of the wingers most famous and most popular of the best flight in England.
Simon Adingra made an identical change a year later. Echoing Mitoma’s success, he thrived in the Pro League, topping the club’s scoring charts and playing an instrumental role in their pursuit of domestic and European gold.
Adingra has not gone from strength to strength since his time in the United – particularly earning praise for his performance in the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations final.
Writing himself into Ivory Coast folklore, the 22-year-old set up both Franck Kessie and Sebastian Haller’s goals in a 2-1 comeback win over Nigeria.
Now regarded as one of the most promising young wingers in Europe, it is easy to forget that he achieved his most valuable season under the Union Saint-Gilloise banner.
That said, it wasn’t just the Brighton ‘leaflets’ that propelled the Union to unprecedented heights in nearly 50 years. The club’s shrewd transfer policy also played its part.
A huge success in the transfer market
Union Saint-Gilloise has recruited some obscure names in recent times, some more dangerous than others. But more often than not, their investments pay off.
Deniz Undav was balancing football with factory work when he was signed by German third division side SV Meppen in 2020.
Within two years, he topped the Pro League scoring charts with Union, attracting interest from England, Italy and Germany.
Bloom’s link has certainly helped Brighton win the race for his services in 2022 – and despite a difficult first season in the Premier League, the striker has found his shooting feet again on loan at VfB Stuttgart, scoring 14 in 22 Bundesliga. games.
Elsewhere in Germany’s top flight, another former Union SG man is taking the world by storm: Victor Boniface.
Before leading the line for Xabi Alonso’s relentless Bayer Leverkusen, Boniface was considered a transfer pariah by many clubs due to his poor injury record.
As a result, the Union were able to land the talented Nigerian striker on a free in 2022 – and Belgian football expert Bob Faesen highlighted the move as a risk that paid off big.
“Boniface, it was like a cheat code over here,’” Faesen told the Independent. “You could see right away that he was too good for the Belgian level.
“The thing is they could pick him up because he’s had some injuries before. They took the risk and it paid off big.
“Their transfers are like a 90 percent success rate. It’s crazy, just weird.”
The Union’s continued success in the transfer market doesn’t look set to end anytime soon.
Algerian Mohamed Amoura, 23, is the latest acquisition to feature in yellow and blue, with his 17 goals this season serving as the driving force behind the SG Union’s title push.
They have also shown that they can bring new life out of players they feel have found their level.
Christian Burgess was in danger of becoming a walk-on in the lower tiers of English football, having made a name for himself at the likes of Portsmouth, Peterborough United and Hartlepool United.
But in 2020, aged 28, he made a surprise move to Belgian second tier side Union Saint-Gilloise. He has since made over 100 appearances for the club and featured in the Champions League.
With Uefa moving further towards increased restrictions on transfer activity between clubs with the same owners, the United will have to keep their eye on the market as Brighton’s ability to loan them talent diminishes.
However, with the Union flying high despite not having any Seagulls this season, the Belgian football titans look set to reclaim their throne on their own.
Third time lucky?
Union Saint-Gilloise have won the Pro League crown for two consecutive seasons since their return to the top flight – and after last year’s events, they will be even more determined to get their hands on silverware.
In a dramatic final in 2022/23, Union were on the verge of glory – they had their hands on the title, leading the pack and leading Club Brugge 1-0 with a minute to spare.
However, as Shion Homma grabbed an 89th-minute equalizer for Brugge, the Union would fall from their perch in the second half, before going into extra time to lose 3-1.
The story of the day would really come in the other fixture between Genk and Royal Antwerp.
A game that was taking place at the same time as the one in Brussels, former Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld headed in from range in the 94th minute to provide an equalizer and a season-defining rocket to clinch a historic title win.
Neutras will be expecting even an ounce of last year’s entertainment and drama this time around – but for Union Saint-Gilloise, what they ultimately care about is fulfilling their predictions.
Kicking off their playoff campaign at Genk on Monday, they will be hoping to start their title push with a win, determined to end their unbeaten run in the league which has been running since September last year.
With a significant crop of players with European experience, the United have proven they belong at the highest level. Now we are waiting to see if they can live up to the hype and finally take home championship gold.
