RSC Anderlecht is the big winner of the 3rd edition of the KDB Cup, the international U15-tournament named after Kevin De Bruyne. A strong field of participants - Manchester City, Turkish Beşiktaş and Russian Zenit Sint-Petersburg were there for the first time -, an extensive side programme and notable guests like Kevin De Bruyne himself and his coach Pep Guardiola, attracted a record number of 7500 football fans to Drongen.
After a close match, RSC Anderlecht defeated the surprising finalist AZ Alkmaar after a very exciting penalty shoot-out. AZ Alkmaar did take home two individual prizes: for best player (Kian Fitz-Jim) and best goalkeeper (Daniël Deen). Charlie McNeil of Manchester City became the tournament's top scorer. Finally, Zenit Saint-Petersburg won the trophy for the fair play. The other Belgian teams didn't perform well and ended at the bottom of the ranking. Anderlecht coach Benoît Haegeman reacted very positive after the final victory. "A few weeks ago we played a tournament in France. But my players were especially looking forward to this event. In terms of facilities, the state of the grounds and the quality of the game, this is really top."
On Saturday, the passage of Pep Guardiola, the top coach of Manchester City, provided a first highlight. The charming Catalan watched several matches and took the time for selfies and autographs. With the parents of Kevin, Guardiola repeatedly praised their 26-year-old son. During a press conference he emphasized his love for youth football. Guardiola said he was impressed with the professional organisation of the KDB Cup: "When I was young, I played these tournaments too. Playing against teams from other countries, that remains a wonderful experience. I wasn't here in Drongen just to please Kevin De Bruyne. In my heart, youth football has an important place. That's why I wanted to follow as many games as possible.
Sunday morning, with the international match against Portugal still in his legs, Kevin De Bruyne paid a visit to his Cup. Kevin also watched a few matches from the dug-out. After Paris Saint-Germain went down 0-2 against Club Brugge, the Parisians were personally consoled by the Red Devil: "Keep believing in yourself, your teammates and your own abilities! "
In the side program there was a lot of interest for the demonstration matches G-football on Saturday and the first ever World Cup Soccer Tribal organized by Football Flanders. Footribal is the new competition format for the youth series U7 to U12. During the World Championships three separate disciplines were played, three against three, with the fun element being central.
Obviously, the organizers of the KDB Cup were very pleased with the past weekend. "We can present a tournament on world level, comparable with what Kevin De Bruyne represents at the moment. We are very proud of that," said tournament leader Jeroen Verhille. "It was a magnificent happening again, for young and old", added KDB Cup chairman Paul Naudts. "Anderlecht became the deserved winner. It's nice to have a Belgian team on our list of honour for once."
The fourth edition of the KDB Cup will take place on May 25 and 26, 2019.
Ranking KDB Cup 2018 :
1 RSC Anderlecht
2 AZ Alkmaar
3 Odense BK
4 Manchester City FC
5 Zenit Saint Petersburg
6 Beşiktaş JK
7 Chelsea FC
8 Borussia Dortmund
9 KRC Genk
10 Club Brugge
11 Paris Saint-Germain
12 KAA Gent