More accolades for ex-Portsmouth favourite and unlikely figure blazing a trail for successful English footballers abroad
He has been the unlikely figure at the forefront of English footballing success abroad.
Now Christian Burgess has toasted his 200th match for Royale Union Saint-Gilloise as he maintains a remarkable love affair with Belgian football.
There were many who questioned the sanity of the defender leaving League One Pompey for the Brussels-based club in July 2020, believing he had committed a mistake.
In truth, outside of Fratton Park, a free transfer switch to Belgium’s second tier - First Division B - barely raised a flicker of interest within football, compared to the usual high-profile moves overseas.
Nonetheless, now approaching five years later, Burgess has spent the last four seasons as a top-flight regular and competed 32 times in Europe, including the Champions League.
Fittingly, he brought up a landmark 200th appearance with a 2-1 victory at Ajax in the Uefa Europa League last month.
Now aged 33, the former Blues favourite has been a pivotal presence in Union’s sensational rejuvenation, helping them return to the Belgian Pro League after a 48-year absence in his maiden campaign.
Since claiming the First Division B title, they have also captured the Belgian Cup for the first time in 110 years and twice finished as runners up in the league.
Unsurprisingly, Burgess is revered by the Union faithful and, on the occasion of his 200th outing, he wrote on Instagram: ‘A performance we can be proud of! A fitting performance to make my 200th appearance for Union!
‘Ever since I have joined this beautiful club we have never given up and have always been backed by our incredible fans. We fight against the odds and continue to surprise everyone!
‘Football is not always just but we’re back amongst European giants and showing that we belong. #toujoursensemble #allezlunion’
Now standing at 202 matches, they consist of 201 starts, 15 goals, four assists - and, of course, two trophies.
While in Europe, he has faced Liverpool, Roma, Sporting Braga, Fenerbahce, Nice, Toulouse, Eintracht Frankfurt, Rangers, Bayer Leverkusen and Malmo.
Last weekend, Burgess, who wears the number 16, was honoured with a framed shirt in recognition of the feat of reaching 200 appearances, presented on pitch before a 4-1 victory over Dender.
210 Games For Pompey
Although, on this occasion, there was no goal. Unlike when he accomplished the landmark with Pompey against Sunderland in February 2020 - and scored in a 2-0 win at Fratton Park.
Overall, Burgess made 210 appearances and scored 15 times after arriving at the Blues in June 2015 for an undisclosed fee from Peterborough under Paul Cook.
During five seasons on the south coast, the popular centre-half won the League Two title, Checkatrade Trophy and reached two League One play-off semi-finals.
Indeed, his Pompey farewell was as skipper in the July 2020 penalty shoot-out defeat to Oxford United, by which time he had already signed a pre-contract agreement with Union.
Now into his fifth campaign in Belgium, he continues to be a first-team regular, with 30 appearances this season for a side presently positioned third in the table.
It wasn’t such a bad decision after all.