31 October 2005, by Marc Coudijzer

Superb Conceição bringing glory days back to Standard Liège

Club captain adored by fans

Royal Standard de Liège, currently number one in Belgium and well placed for straight qualification into the Champions League group stages, has a strong link with Portuguese football.

At the end of the seventies Norton de Matos was a prolific striker for The Reds whilst Michel Preud’homme, who played over 300 games for Standard and is now their Director of Football, played numerous years at Benfica.

Nowadays Almani Moreira, ex-Boavista, Marius Nicuale, ex-Sporting, and Sérgio Conceição, ex-Porto, are helping the team on the road to renewed success (picture above: Portuguese duo Conceição & Moreira).

Few players have made such an immediate impact at the club as Sérgio Conceição since his arrival at Standard last year. Displaying his best football in Belgium, the right winger has already scored five decisive goals this season (11 games), helping his team to be the league leaders, ahead of Anderlecht and Bruges. ‘His team’ because the Portuguese was asked to captain Standard this season.

By far the most popular player amongst the fans, the locals are loving every minute of it, as Sérgio is scoring, passing superbly, running at the opposite team and keeping up morale within the team. Under his leadership the team is having its best period in years.

His standard of football is so high, week in week out, that Conceição is the strongest candidate to win the Belgian Golden Boot - the country’s most important individual football trophy rewarding the best overall player in Belgium in 2005. Sérgio Conceição has won much respect as he decided to extend his contract at Standard, despite strong interest from other top teams in Europe. “I believe in this team, and we’ll go far this season. Our current results show that I have made the best decision.”

The only part missing in his career currently is international football. “I’d love to play for the Portuguese national team again. Simply hearing the national anthem makes me all emotional and proud to be Portuguese,” Sérgio recently declared in the Belgian press. “I am convinced I can still be a strong addition to the national squad and help guide our young players, just as I do over here in Belgium.”