May 27 – Substitute Promise David led Union Saint-Gilloise to their first Belgian league title in 90 years on Sunday in a 3-1 victory against AA Gent, the culmination of a years-long renaissance and another stellar season.
The club from the Dudenpark scored first through Franjo Ivanovic but took the hard route to glory when they allowed Andri Gudjohnsen to equalise on the stroke of half-time. With Brugge drawing 1-1 against Antwerp, the reigning champions were a single goal away from retaining their title, but Union came good in the second half with two goals from substitute David.
The Canadian striker certainly lived up to his name. In the 69th minute, he capitalised on a turnover in the Gent defence to hand the hosts the lead. Six minutes later, he decided the match and the championship with a neat header to make it 3-1.
Going into the final day of the season, Union had their fate in their own hands with a one-point cushion over rivals Brugge but when they conceded, the demons of the past three seasons returned as they had missed out on the league title on the last day in all three.
Not this time though. David delivered a 12th title and a first since 1935. Union spent 48 years in the lower tiers of Belgian football before returning to the top flight in 2021. The club are the first with a foreign owner to win the Belgian league title.
More than half of Belgium’s top-flight clubs are in foreign hands. But Union – first owned by Tony Bloom of Brighton and Hove Albion, now by Alex Muzio – have applied shrewd management, excellent scouting and recruiting, and a sensible wage policy to drive their growth and establish the club at the top of the pyramid. That strategy has also allowed them to reinvent themselves each and every season in the top flight after selling their best players. David is the perfect example of how Union operate. Last year, he played in Estonia, but following his nineteen goals in the Belgian league he will be high on the wish list of bigger, foreign clubs this summer.
As domestic champions, Union will now represent Belgium in the Champions League. The riches of Europe’s premier club competition will provide another boost to the club’s coffers.
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