Anthony Henri Vanden Borre was born on the 24th of October 1987 in Likasi, Zaire to a Belgian father and Congolese mother, the family moving to Brussels when he was five when civil war broke out. Having trained at Anderlecht throughout his entire youth career from the age of 8, he came to prominence incredibly quickly, making his debut for Anderlecht in March 2004 at the age of just 16 years and 187 days old. A month and five appearances later, he was playing for the Belgium senior team, appearing in a friendly against Turkey. It seemed too short a period to make a judgment on a player, but his energetic running down the right flank, willingness to take on his marker, and borderline reckless flair made him eye-catching in the Belgian league as he was also praised for his technical ability, passing and vision. Around the time of his international debut he was described by former Belgium striker Paul van Himst, the only footballer to have played for Belgium at a younger age than Vanden Borre, as "the greatest talent I’ve ever seen in my career." Anderlecht seemingly agreed, as by the 2004-05 season the right-back was making regular appearances for the team, often alongside Vincent Kompany. While both Kompany and Vanden Borre were considered huge football talents, it was Vanden Borre who was considered to be an even greater star-in-the-making than his team mate. For a while, things kept improving, and Vanden Borre’s most successful spell for the Brussels-based club came when the defender provided three goals and five assists between August 2005 and January 2006. Having earned rave reviews for his performance at right-back during a Champions League defeat to Chelsea a few weeks earlier when he hit the post, before a league game against Zulte Waregem in December 2005 the 19-year-old upset Anderlecht manager Franky Vercauteren by shaving the letters 'AVB' into his hair.
The incident was the beginning of a slippery slope as the minor scandal became not unusual for Vanden Borre and a string of off-field clashes, and a perceived attitude problem, meant the defender never nailed down a starting spot in his three full seasons at Anderlecht. His time at the club was marked by irregularity, lack of concentration and injuries. After several minor incidents, he received a 'bad boy' label from both the press and his coaches and after losing his place in the Anderlecht side to the Poland international Marcin Wasilewski, in June 2007, he said goodbye to the club and embarked on a nomadic spell after moving to Fiorentina for €4m in June 2007. However, within months, and having made only two appearances, he was sold to Genoa where he appeared to making progress as he become a regular under Gian Piero Gasperini, but it proved to be another false start, and he then joined cash-strapped Portsmouth on loan at the start of the 2009-10 season. A red card against Blackburn in a 0-0 draw in April, as the club headed towards relegation, put paid to his hopes of featuring in the FA Cup final and he was only ever a marginal figure at Fratton Park.
Still only 23, a return to Belgium offered Vanden Borre an escape route when agreeing a short term deal with Racing Genk, but complications surrounding the transfer from Genoa meant he was sidelined until January 2011. The transfer marked the exact half-way point in his career with the move providing a long-overdue career high point. Thanks to the influence of the young midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and the goals of striker Jelle Vossen, Genk won the First Division in 2010-11, with Anthony playing an important part during the second half of the season. His second campaign though was less successful, with manager Mario Been criticising the right-back’s lack of application and over-reliance on natural talent. Once more it saw him marginalised and he wasn't offered a new contract at the club so was released at the end of the season. After his release he joined Ukrainian side Tavriva Simferopol until the end of the season but his time in Ukraine was short-lived lasting only 3 games. He came to close to calling time on his career at the start of 2013 as he struggled to find another club but Anderlecht, in the form of the general manager Herman Van Holsbeeck, proved his salvation. "The board has decided to help Anthony,” said Van Holsbeeck when Vanden Borre was given a three-year contract. "The club never forgets its former players who have difficulties. We know Anthony well and we hope he seizes this opportunity with both hands." Vanden Borre said, "I am the first to admit I have too long relied on my talent. My attitude irritated Mario Been, he told me I had missed a good career. It made me think, it was time to turn the knob. At 24, I found a balance in my life. I want to go to the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 with the Red Devils." The following season saw him established as a first-choice in Anderlecht’s young side as they retained their title and he earned a call-up for Marc Wilmot's Belgium squad for Brazil. Left out of the first two group fixtures, he was handed a chance against South Korea in São Paulo, only to suffer a fractured calf bone in the closing minutes of the dead rubber to rule him out of the tournament. He returned in time to score twice against Arsenal in a thrilling 3-3 comeback draw in the Champions League but that was to be as good as it got. Frozen out of the first team picture, he joined Montpellier in 2016 but after just 10 appearances in all competitions he returned to Anderlecht in January 2017 before, on the 10th of January 2017, announcing his initial retirement from football at the age of 29.
see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2024/08/footballs-nearly-men-francis-jeffers.html
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