In honor of a former comrade, the players of Anderlecht rode their team bus to Ajax to witness Brighton win 2-0 in history.
On Thursday night (November 9), goalie Bart Verbruggen made his Brighton debut in the Europa League at home.
The 21-year-old Dutchman acknowledged after the game that he received some extra backing from the crowd while helping to maintain a clean sheet against the four-time European champions.
Verbruggen remarked, “It was funny because I had like ten or fifteen family members, but then my old team, Anderlecht, came on their players’ coach—twenty-five people, they were all here.”
“I got to see them after the game, which was really nice. It was good to see everyone. They texted me to say they were all coming. It was nice to see.
“It didn’t up the stakes, I was just happy to see everybody again. It’s nice that they still think of me and my family supports me the way I do. I’m a lucky guy.”
Verbruggen played 24 games for Belgian Pro League side Anderlecht, winning player of the season in the 2022–23 season, before moving to Brighton.
Before Anderlecht, the Dutchman played for NAC Breda in the Netherlands but he never made a competitive appearance.
“Of course, it’s been extra special this match,” Verbruggen said after the win at Ajax.
“We’ve all been looking for to it. When we drew Ajax, we were all buzzing. This was one of the games you put a circle around.
“To come away with a win and a clean sheet is the best feeling in the world.
“Ajax is a massive club; everybody knew what a difficult period they were in, but there was a big difference from two weeks ago; we saw a different Ajax. We still beat them, so
“I was young when I joined Anderlecht, and I never really played in the Dutch league. To come here and play in the stadium with this team was something on my bucket list. I am just happy I won.”
Verbruggen, who knew ‘quite early’ that he would be starting in his home country, has been operating as a joint number one season alongside Jason Steele, with both players constantly rotated by Roberto De Zerbi.
“I’m the one joining a new club, so I have to adapt to the way things go,” the young keeper said.
“I am trying to do that as best as I can. I try to fight every day, every week—play every minute I can, be an important player for the team, and be a good teammate whether that’s on or off the pitch.”
Ansu Fati and Simon Adingra combined twice to secure Brighton’s 2-0 win.
Verbruggen hailed the pair, who also combined for the second goal against Ajax at the Amex.
“Watching them do their thing was as enjoyable for me as it was for you guys,” he said.
“One can’t even debate Ansu’s quality. Everyone is aware. He is invaluable to us and very good.
We are working on making their partnership stronger. With each game, you can watch it grow. All the relationships on the pitch, not just theirs. It’s really significant to us. It was quite pleasant to see you today.”
Lewis Dunk and James Milner sustained first-half injuries, and the goalkeeper also commended Igor Julio and Billy Gilmour for substituting earlier than anticipated.
“Milner and Dunk are massive for us, in terms of their experience and leadership,” stated Verbruggen.
“Igor and Billy came on, and the level didn’t drop for a second. We all stepped up as a team. Big complements to those guys; they really helped us get this victory.
“Of course we enjoy tonight; we need to enjoy the wins, recover tomorrow, and then after 24 hours we have Sheffield [United].
“We are not making any long-term precisions. We have a very good team and an ambitious team as well. The future can be bright.”