R.W.D. Molenbeek (2015)

You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Dutch. (February 2024) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the Dutch article. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Dutch Wikipedia article at [[:nl:Racing White Daring Molenbeek (5479)]]; see its history for attribution. You may also add the template {{Translated|nl|Racing White Daring Molenbeek (5479)}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

RWD Molenbeek

Full name	Racing White Daring Molenbeek
Founded	2015; 9 years ago (2015) (takeover)
Ground	Edmond Machtens Stadium
Capacity	12,266
Owner	John Textor
Head coach	Yannick Ferrera
League	Challenger Pro League
2023–24	Belgian Pro League, 15th of 16 (relegated)
Website	https://www.rwdm.be/nl/
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Racing White Daring Molenbeek, also known as RWD Molenbeek and often referred to as RWDM, is a Belgian professional football club based in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Brussels. The club will play in the second flight in 2024–25 after relegation from the 2023–24 Belgian Pro League, the club's first season back in the top flight. The club is seen in Belgium as a continuation of previous clubs with the same name that went out of business.

The club was founded in 1951 as Standard Wetteren. In 2015, Wetteren folded and merged with another club, liberating the matricule which was sold to people wanting to revive the former RWDM with matricule 47 which folded in 2002. As such the new club was named RWDM47. The club quickly rose through the ranks, winning two consecutive promotions from the fifth to the third tier. In December 2021, the club announced that it had come under the ownership of American business executive John Textor, who also holds stakes in English side Crystal Palace, Brazilian side Botafogo and French side Lyon.^[1]

RWDM's academy is considered one of the best in Belgium, and many footballers have come from there, notably Adnan Januzaj and Michy Batshuayi to name a few Belgian internationals as well as a few internationals for other countries.^[2][3]

On 13 May 2023, RWDM secured promotion to the Belgian Pro League by winning the Challenger Pro League title in a narrow 1–0 victory over RSCA Futures, with Mickaël Biron scoring the winning goal.^[4][5] They went straight back down at the end of their first season back in the top flight.

RWDM's traditional rival is Union Saint-Gilloise,^[6] which goes back to the 19th century when RWDM were known as Daring Club.^[7] RWDM also have a rivalry with RSC Anderlecht, with just 3 kilometres separating the two clubs and the fixtures often taking over the mantle of the "Derby of Brussels" in the professional era due to Union's relative decline. RWDM also have rivalries with Eendracht Aalst, Lierse,^[8] and RFC Liège.^[9]

RWDM drew support from across the Belgian capital due to its merger of 4 teams, as well as in the Periphery, where many Brusseleirs migrated to, in contrast to the more locally based Saint-Gilles support and the nationwide Anderlecht support.^[10] It had high attendances for a big part of its existence as RWDM, until financial troubles and the subsequent changeover with Johan Vermeesch in charge of the new club led to the name change to FC Brussels,^[11] and caused a split in the fanbase. During their years as FC Brussels, the Ultra group Brussels Power 05 emerged,^[12] while many of the "old school" casuals "Brussels Boys" boycotted. These days both supporter groups sit in the same Bloc A.

As of 13 August 2024.^[13]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  BEL Bill Lathouwers 4 DF  BEL Djovkar Doudaev 5 MF  BEL Alexis De Sart 6 MF  FRA Islamdine Halifa (on loan from Olympique Lyonnais) 7 MF  NCA Jacob Montes 8 MF  JPN Shuto Abe 9 FW  POL Piotr Parzyszek 10 FW  FRA Gaëtan Robail 11 FW  MAR Ilyes Ziani 15 DF  MAR Achraf Laâziri (on loan from Olympique Lyonnais) 17 MF  FRA Yacouba Barry 20 FW  CAN Kwasi Poku

No. Pos. Nation Player 21 DF  ANG Marsoni Sambu 23 MF  BRA Romildo Del Piage 26 FW  BEL Pjotr Kestens 28 GK  BEL Guillaume Hubert 31 DF  BEL Noah Dodeigne 34 DF  CGO Christ Makosso 43 DF  BRA David Sousa 53 FW  BEL Adnane Messad-Kouchiche 55 DF  BEL Matteo Vandendaele 70 GK  BDI Mattéo Nkurunziza — FW  POR Marcos Paulo (on loan from Atlético Madrid)

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  BEL Ilay Camara (at Standard Liège)

^[13]

Position	Staff
Chairman & Owner	John Textor
President	Thierry Dailly
Head Coach	Yannick Ferrera
Assistant Coach	Pepijn Mertens Siebe van der Bosch
Goalkeeper Coach	Thierry Berghmans

• Challenger Pro League
  • Winner (1): 2022–23

• RWD Molenbeek (1909)

• Media related to Racing White Daring Molenbeek (2015) at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website (in French and Dutch)