Tucked away in Eastern Belgium, closer to the Dutch border than the major Belgian cities, Genk is a former coal mining town which fewer than 70,000 people call home. Even in a small country, it falls distinctly into the provincial category, yet the city has emerged as the unlikely starting point for some of football’s biggest stars.
Within a roughly 100 mile radius of Genk, you’ll find Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp, and Liège, not to mention Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, and Dortmund. Not only larger cities, but also ones steeped in football history, home to clubs that had already racked up a sea of honours by the time KRC Genk even came to existence, following the merger of two local clubs in 1988.
Despite twice dropping into the second tier in the early years, the decision to merge Waterschei SV Thor Genk and KFC Winterslag would in time prove an unqualified success, and by the turn of the century, Genk were really starting to make waves in Belgian football. They won the title for the first time in 1998/99, repeating the trick three years later. That was the catalyst for a debut appearance in the UEFA Champions League group stage where they secured creditable draws against Italian giants Roma and defending champions Real Madrid.
However, in a European setting, Genk will always be little more than a small fish in a very large pond. To stand any chance of being competitive against bigger clubs from stronger leagues in the modern era, they were going to need to do something out of the ordinary.
That’s why to understand Genk’s story, the most important milestone is not any individual title or trophy, or big Champions League night. It can, rather, be traced back to the decision in the early 2000’s to invest heavily in the infrastructure required for a thriving modern youth academy.