Belgium national football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Belgium women's national football team.

Belgium
Nickname(s) De Rode Duivels
Les Diables Rouges
Die Roten Teufel
(The Red Devils)
Association Royal Belgian Football Association (KBVB/URBSFA/KBFV)[upper-alpha 1]
World Cup
Appearances 12 (First in 1930)
Best result Fourth place, 1986
European Championship
Appearances 5 (First in 1972)
Best result Runners-up, 1980

The Belgian national football team has officially represented Belgium in association football since their maiden match in 1904. The squad is under the global jurisdiction of FIFA and is governed in Europe by UEFA—both of which were co-founded by the Belgian team's supervising body, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA). Periods of regular Belgian representation at the highest international level, from 1920 to 1938 and 1970 to 2002, have alternated with mostly unsuccessful qualification rounds. Most of Belgium's home matches are played at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.

Belgium's national team have participated in three quadrennial major football competitions. They appeared in the end stages of twelve FIFA World Cups and four UEFA European Football Championships, and featured at three Olympic football tournaments including the 1920 Olympic tournament which they won. Other notable performances are victories over four reigning world champions—West Germany, Brazil, Argentina and France—between 1954 and 2002. Belgium has longstanding football rivalries with its Dutch neighbours, the so-called Low Countries derby, and its French counterparts, having played both teams nearly every year from 1905 to 1967. The squad has been known as the Red Devils since 1906, and its supporters' group is named 1895.

During the national player career of striker Paul Van Himst, the most-praised Belgian footballer of the 20th century, Belgium took third place at Euro 1972. After that, the Belgian national squad experienced two golden ages with many gifted players. The first period lasted from the 1980s to the early 1990s, with the team finishing as runners-up at Euro 1980 and fourth in the 1986 World Cup. With the second golden generation, which emerged under guidance of Marc Wilmots in the early 2010s, Belgium topped the FIFA World Rankings for the first time in November 2015.

History

Belgium was one of the first mainland European countries to play association football.[7] Its practice in Belgium began after an Irish student walked into the Josephites College of Melle with a leather ball on 26 October 1863.[8] Initially, association football was an elitist pastime,[9] but during the following decades it supplanted rugby as Belgium's most popular football sport.[10] On 1 September 1895, ten clubs for football, athletics, cricket and cycling founded the Belgian sports association Union Belge des Sociétés de Sports Athlétiques (UBSSA);[11][1][10] a year later UBSSA organised the first annual league in Belgian football.[10]

Football team in uniform
The first Belgium A-squad in 1901 featured four Englishmen.

On 11 October 1900, Beerschot AC honorary president Jorge Díaz announced that Antwerp would host a series of challenge matches between Europe's best football teams.[12] After some organisational problems, on 28 April 1901, Beerschot's pitch hosted its first tournament: the Challenge F. Vanden Abeele, between a Belgian A-squad and a Dutch B-team.[13] Belgium won,[14] and also beat Netherlands in all three follow-up games.[15] FIFA does not recognise these results because Belgium fielded some English players.[16] On 1 May 1904, the Belgians played their first official game, against France at the Stade du Vivier d'Oie in Uccle; their draw left the Évence Coppée Trophy unclaimed.[17] Twenty days later, the football boards of both countries and five other nations founded FIFA.[18] At that time, the Belgian squad was chosen by a committee drawn from the country's six or seven major clubs.[19] In 1910, former Scottish footballer William Maxwell became the first manager of the Red Devils.[20] Two years later, UBSSA began governing football only and was renamed UBSFA.[upper-alpha 3][1][10] During World War I, the national team played no official games but did encounter France in unrecognised friendlies.[21][22]

At the 1920 Summer Olympics, in their first official Olympic appearance, the Red Devils won the gold medal on home soil after a controversial final in which their Czechoslovak opponents left the pitch.[23] This triumph led them to an all-time-high second place in the World Football Elo Ratings.[6] In the three 1920s Summer Olympics, they achieved fair results (four wins in seven games),[24][25][26] and played their first intercontinental match, against Argentina. Over the following decade, however, Belgium lost all of their matches at the first three FIFA World Cup final tournaments.[27][28][29] According to historian Richard Henshaw "the growth of [football] in Scandinavia, Central Europe, and South America left Belgium far behind".[30] Although international football events were largely suspended in the 1940s because of World War II, the traditional derby against the Netherlands was kept alive with unofficial matches.[31][32]

A successful penalty kick, seen from the back of the net
In the 1920 Olympic football final at Olympisch Stadion in Antwerp, Robert Coppée scored for Belgium with a penalty kick.

Belgium qualified for only one of eight major tournaments during the 1950s and 1960s: the 1954 World Cup. According to journalist Henry Guldemont, some of his Swiss colleagues regarded the 1954 Belgian team as "favourites for the world title" after a promising draw in the opener against England.[33][34] However, they were eliminated after a loss to Italy in the second (and last) group match.[35] The day before the tournament began, the Belgian, French and Italian football boards founded UEFA.[36] Two bright spots in these decades were wins against World Cup holders: West Germany in 1954, and Brazil in 1963.[37] In between, Belgium also defeated Hungary's Golden Team in 1956.[37] The combination of failure in competitive games and success in exhibition matches gave the Belgians the mock title of "world champion of the friendlies".[38][39]

The team's performance improved during the early 1970s, under manager Raymond Goethals. Fully dressed in white, as the White Devils, Belgium had their first victories at World and European Championships at the 1970 World Cup and Euro 1972.[40][41] At that Euro appearance, their first, they finished third by winning the tournament's consolation match against Hungary. In 1973, the denial of a match-winning goal in their last 1974 World Cup qualifier cost Belgium their appearance at the finals.[42] The next two attempts to reach a major finals were also unsuccessful.[43][44] Beginning with a second-place finish at Euro 1980,[45] the 1980s and early 1990s are generally considered as Belgium's first golden age.[46] Coached by Guy Thys, Belgium achieved their spot in the 1980 final with an unbeaten record in the group phase, and lost the title to West Germany by a narrow loss.[45] Starting with the 1982 World Cup and ending with the 2002 World Cup, the national team qualified for six consecutive World Cup end stages and mostly progressed to the second round. In this period, managers Guy Thys, Paul Van Himst and Robert Waseige guided the Belgian team past the first round.[47] In addition to receiving individual FIFA recognitions, the team reached the semi-finals of the 1986 World Cup.[48] After reaching the Euro 1980 final, the squad were unsuccessful at the continental level, with early exits from their appearances at Euro 1984 and Euro 2000.[49][50] During the late 1990s, they played three friendly tournaments in Morocco,[51] Cyprus[52] and Japan, sharing the 1999 Kirin Cup with Peru in the latter.[53] The greatest talents of the Belgian national team during this golden age were retired from international football by 2000,[54] yet in 2002, Belgium defeated reigning world champions France,[37] and reached the World Cup round of 16.[55]

Belgian defender maneuvering around the Algerian goal
Belgium (in red) playing Algeria at Estádio Mineirão in the 2014 World Cup

After the 2002 World Cup, the team weakened with the loss of more veterans[56] and coach Waseige.[57] Belgium failed to qualify for five consecutive major finals from Euro 2004 until Euro 2012 and went through an equal number of head coaches.[47] In between, a promising new generation was maturing at the 2007 European U-21 Championship; Belgium's squad qualified for the following year's Summer Olympics in Beijing,[58] where the Young Red Devils squad finished fourth.[59] Seventeen of them appeared in the senior national team,[54] albeit without bringing the seniors immediate success. At the 2009 Kirin Cup, Belgium finished in second (and last) place,[60] and they lost against the 125th FIFA-ranked team of Armenia in September 2009.[61] After Georges Leekens' second stint as national manager,[62][63] assistant manager Marc Wilmots became the caretaker in May 2012.[64]

After two matches as interim coach, Wilmots agreed to fully replace Leekens.[65] Following his appointment, the team's performances improved,[66] with some foreign media considering it as another Belgian golden generation.[67][68][69][70] Belgium qualified as unbeaten group winners for the 2014 World Cup finals,[71] at which the young squad earned Belgium's second ever place in a World Cup quarter-finals with a four-game winning streak.[72] Belgium qualified for Euro 2016 with a match to spare in October 2015,[73] and took the top spot in the FIFA World Rankings for the first time in November 2015,[74] to stay first for five months.[61] In the 2018 World Cup qualifying allocation, they were seeded first in their group.[75][76]

Kit

Team photo on the pitch
Team emblem: a gold lion on a black shield background
Traditional red jersey worn by the Euro 1980 runners-up, and the stylised lion emblem (1948–80)

In home matches, the team's outfield players traditionally play in the colours of the Belgian flag: black, yellow and red.[77][78] Red dominates the strip and is often the sole jersey colour,[78] hence the "Red Devils" nickname.[79] The away colours are usually white, black or both;[80] in 2014, the team introduced a third, yellow kit.[81] Their shirts are often trimmed with tricolores at the margins.[82] Since 1981, the RBFA emblem has been the national team's badge;[78][82] the previous badge was a yellow lion on a black shield,[80] similar to the escutcheon of the national coat of arms.[83]

For their first unofficial match in 1901, the Belgian team wore white jerseys with tricoloured bands on the upper arms.[84] Around Belgium's third unofficial game in 1902, it was decided that the players would wear a "shirt with national colours ... [that would indicate,] with a stripe, the number of times every player has participated in an encounter".[14] Since 1904, Belgium's classic all-red jersey design has been altered twice. In 1904–05, the squad briefly wore satin shirts with three horizontal bands in red, yellow and black; according to sports journalist Victor Boin, the shirts set "the ugliness record".[19] During the 1970s, manager Raymond Goethals chose an all-white combination to improve the team's visibility during evening matches;[82][85] as a result, they were temporarily known as the "White Devils".[85]

Six clothing manufacturers have supplied the official team strip. Since 2014, it has been produced by Adidas,[86] who also supplied sportswear to the squad from 1974 to 1980, and from 1982 to 1991.[87] Former kit manufacturers are Umbro (1970–1973),[82] Admiral (1981–1982),[87] Diadora (1992–1999),[87] Nike (1999–2010),[88] and BURRDA (2010–2014).[87]

Home stadium

Aerial photo of packed stadium
Stadium interior, photographed from the grandstand
The national stadium at the Heysel Plateau in 1935 (left) and in 2013

A total of 23 national venues in 11 urban areas have hosted Belgium's home games.[47] Most of these matches have been played in Brussels at the Heysel Plateau, on the site of the present-day King Baudouin Stadium—a multipurpose venue with a seating capacity of 50,122.[89] Its field also hosts the team's final training sessions before domestic games. Since 2007, most physical preparation takes place at the National Football Centre in Tubize[90] or at Anderlecht's training ground in the Neerpede quarter.[91][92] Belgium's national stadium has hosted eight European Cup and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals,[93][94] and six European Championship games.[95][96]

In 1930, for the country's centennial, the venue was christened the Jubilee Stadium with an unofficial match between Belgium and the Netherlands.[97] At that time, the stadium had a capacity of 75,000.[98] In 1946, it was renamed Heysel Stadium after its city quarter. This new name became associated with the tragedy preceding the 1985 European Cup final between Juventus and Liverpool; after Liverpool fans charged a neutral area of the antiquated building, 39 spectators died.[99] Three years after the disaster, plans were unveiled for a renovation;[100] in 1995, after two years of work, the modernised stadium was named after the late King Baudouin.[101]

In May 2013, it was announced that King Baudouin Stadium would be replaced by Eurostadium, elsewhere on the Heysel Plateau;[102] two years later, a 2019 date was set for the stadium's completion.[103] In September 2014, UEFA named Brussels as one of the 13 host cities for the 2020 European Championship, with its new stadium hosting four games.[104]

Team image

Media coverage

Journalist, seated in the stands and speaking into a microphone
Gust De Muynck's live coverage during Belgium-Netherlands in 1931

The first live coverage of a football match of Belgium's national team was made on 3 May 1931 when journalist Gust De Muynck commentated on Belgium versus the Netherlands on radio—the first broadcast of a Belgian sporting event.[105] Later, football broadcasts were also made through television. As 59 per cent of Belgians speak Dutch and 41 per cent French, commentaries for the national team matches are provided in both languages. The games are not broadcast in German—the third official language in Belgium. During Belgium's tournament appearances in the 1980s and early 1990s, Rik De Saedeleer crowned himself the nation's most famous football commentator with his emotional and humorous reports.[106]

Initially the matches were mainly transmitted on public television channels: the former BRTN in Dutch and the RTBF in French. Since 1994, commercial channels such as vtm and its sister channel Kanaal 2, and VIER in Flanders, have purchased broadcasting rights.[1] UEFA assigned VRT and RTBF to be the Belgian broadcasting right holders for the Euro 2016 tournament.[107] The round-of-16 match against the United States at the 2014 World Cup was the most-watched television programme in Belgium so far, with an audience of over four million viewers out of 11.2 million Belgian citizens.[108]

In April 2014, the VRT started transmitting a nine-piece behind-the-scenes documentary about the national team filmed during the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, titled Iedereen Duivel ("Everybody Devil").[109] Cable broadband provider Telenet broadcast an eight-piece documentary about individual players titled Rode Helden ("Red Heroes").[110]

Actions

Two happy people, child and adult, in a crowd behind a crush barrier
Young Belgium fan with typical tricolour wig and makeup

Around the team's popularity peak in the 2010s, multiple events were organised for the fans. During the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, a string of interactive actions titled the Devil Challenges were organised.[111] The premise was that small groups of international players would do a favour in return for each of the five comprehensive chores their supporters completed ("colour Belgium red", "gather 500,000 decibels", etc.), all of which were accomplished.[112] In June 2013, the Belgian national team's first ever Fan Day attracted over 20,000 supporters;[113] a second edition was held after the 2014 World Cup.[114] On the days of Belgium's 2014 World Cup group matches, large dance events titled Dance with the Devils (a pun on the title of a 2001 trance album)[115] took place in three Belgian cities.[116]

At some occasions the Belgian team overtly supported charity. In 1926, an unofficial match against the Netherlands was held exclusively as a charity fundraiser.[117] In mid-1986, when the Belgian delegation reached the Mexico World Cup semi-finals, the team started a project titled Casa Hogar on the impulse of delegation leader Michel D'Hooghe.[118] Casa Hogar is a home for street children in the industrial Mexican city Toluca, to which the footballers donated part of their tournament bonuses.[119] In August 2013, the national team supported four social projects via the charity fund Football+ Foundation, by playing an A-match with a plus sign on the shoulders of their jerseys and afterwards auctioning the shirts.[120][121]

In 2002, the national squad held a first anti-racism campaign in which they posed with slogans.[122] A home Euro 2012 qualifier was given the theme of respect for diversity in 2010; this UEFA-supported action was part of the European FARE Action Week.[123] Ex-Red Devil Dimitri Mbuyu—the first black Belgium player (in 1987)[54][124]—was engaged as godfather, and other foreign current and former footballers who played in the Belgian top division participated.[125]

Supporters

"Cycling is the traditional national sport of Belgium, but soccer is the most popular."

—Historian Richard Henshaw, 1979[10]

Fans of the Belgian national team display the country's tricolour national flag, usually with an emphasis on the red element. In 2012, local supporter clubs merged into one large Belgian fan federation named 1895 after the foundation year of the RBFA. One year later, 1895 had 24,000 members.[126] The nationwide interest in the football squad has also been reflected by the occasional presence of Belgian kings at their matches since 1914.[127][128][129] One of the greatest moments for the Belgian team and their 12th man was in mid-1986 when the Belgian delegation at the Mexico World Cup received a warm "welcome home". When the World Cup semi-finalists appeared on the balcony of Brussels Town Hall, the adjoining Grand Place square was filled with an ecstatic crowd that cheered as though their team had won a major tournament.[130]

Number 1895 in red and bold, with the digit 9 carrying devil's horns and tail
Logo of the national fan federation

After the six consecutive World Cup qualifications between 1982 and 2002, the team's failure to reach the end stages of the next five European and world championships meant a severe popularity strain for the national side. Between 2004 and 2010, local journalists described the Belgian footballing nation as "mortally ill".[131][132] Some fans kept supporting their team in the bad days; Ludo Rollenberg was one of the most loyal because he attended the team's games worldwide since 1990. He only missed the Japanese Kirin Cup in 1999 and two other matches by 2006,[133] and was the only supporter to attend their match in Armenia in 2009.[134] In 2008, hope surged when Belgium's U-23 won fourth place at the Olympics in Beijing;[59] several of these Olympians later appeared in the senior team.[54]

During the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, interactive actions called the Devil Challenges and a Fan Day strengthened the bond with supporters. Just before the kick-off of a home qualifier, Belgium's footballers saw a first tifo banner, sized 10.5 by 11.5 metres (34 by 38 ft) and depicting a devil in the national colours.[135] The presence of many Belgian players in top foreign leagues, such as the Premier League, and promising results under Marc Wilmots, increased fans' enthusiasm and belief in a successful World Cup campaign.[113][136] Because of this popularity peak, two Belgian monuments were decorated in national colours for the 2014 FIFA World Cup event; the Manneken Pis statue received a child-sized version of the new Belgian uniform,[137] while facets of the Atomium's upper sphere were covered in black, yellow and red vinyl.[138]

Nickname and logo

After a 1905 match, a Dutch reporter wrote that three Belgian footballers "work[ed] as devils".[139] A year later Léopold FC manager Pierre Walckiers nicknamed the players "Red Devils", inspired by the colour of their jerseys and the achievement of three consecutive victories in 1906.[79][37] Since 2012, the team logo is a red trident (or three-pronged pitchfork),[140] an attribute that is often associated with the devil. Before that, the national team has had three official anthropomorphous mascots. Their first was a lion in team kit named Diabolix,[141] a reference to the central symbol in the Belgian coat of arms that also appeared on the team jerseys from 1905 to 1980.[82] In accordance with their nickname, a red super-devil and a fan-made modern devil were the next mascots.[141]

Rivalries

Match phase with two outfield players from each side
Illustration of a Netherlands-Belgium cup match at Rotterdam's Schuttersveld pitch in 1905

Belgium's main football rivals are its neighbours the Netherlands and France, with which it shares close cultural and political relations.[142][143] The matchup between the Belgian and Dutch teams is known as the Low Countries derby;[97] as of March 2016 they have played each other in 125 official matches.[144] The clash between the Belgian and French sides is nicknamed le Match Sympathique in French ("the Friendly Match");[145] they have contested 73 official matches as of March 2016.[144]

Belgium won the first four matches against the Netherlands,[14][146] all of which were unofficial, but lost their first FIFA-recognised duel.[37] The two national teams played each other biannually between 1905 and 1964, except during the two World Wars.[37] They have met 18 times in major tournament campaigns and have played at least 35 friendly cup matches; the ones in Belgium were titled "Challenge F. Vanden Abeele", those in the Netherlands were called "Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad-beker".[47] The overall balance favours the Netherlands, with 55 wins against 41 Belgian victories.[144] The Low Countries squads co-operated in fundraising initiatives between 1925 and 1932; they played four unofficial matches for charity, FIFA and the Belgian Olympic Committee.[97][147]

The first match between Belgium and France, the Évence Coppée Trophy played in 1904, was the first official game for both teams and the first official football match between independent countries on the European continent.[148] Until 1967, the sides met almost annually.[37] As of March 2016, France has played most often against Belgium in international football.[144] Belgium have the better record, with 30 wins to France's 24 times.[144]

Management

For more details on this topic, see List of Belgium national football team managers.
Portrait of a bearded man and subscript with the title of Baron
Coach in training jacket
Édouard de Laveleye (left), Belgium's de facto first national manager (1904–09), and current head coach Marc Wilmots (since 2012)

Since 1904, the RBFA, 23 permanent managers and two caretaker managers have officially been in charge of the national team;[47] this implies at least selecting the footballers.[20] As of March 2016, a crew of over 20 RBFA employees guides the player group; it includes among others manager Marc Wilmots, his assistant Vital Borkelmans and goalkeeping coach Erwin Lemmens.[149] As of March 2016, Marc Wilmots is statistically the best performing Belgium manager, with an average of 2.22 points per match.[upper-alpha 4] The results led to Belgium's top FIFA Ranking spot in 2015 and earned Wilmots the title of Best Coach of the Year at the 2015 Globe Soccer Awards.[150] Under Guy Thys, the team achieved record results at World and European championships; World Soccer magazine accordingly proclaimed him Manager of the Year in 1986.[151]

Rather than developing innovative team formations or styles of play, Belgium's managers applied tactics that were common during their spells. At the three 1930s World Cups, the Red Devils were aligned in a contemporary 2–3–5 "pyramid".[27][28][29] In 1954, Doug Livingstone's team played in a 3–2–5 "WM" arrangement during World Cup matches.[35] Throughout most of their tournament games in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, the team played in a 4–4–2 formation.[40][152][153] Since Raymond Goethals' leadership in the 1970s, a key strength of the Belgian team was their systematic use of the offside trap,[154] a defensive tactic that was already intensively applied in the 1960s by Anderlecht coach Pierre Sinibaldi.[155] According to football journalist Wim De Bock, "master tactician" Goethals represented the "conservative, defensive football of the Belgian national team"; he said that in the 1970s the contrast between the Belgian playing style and the Total Football from their Dutch rivals "could not be bigger".[156]

In an attempt to win a game at the 1998 World Cup, Georges Leekens chose a 4–3–3 arrangement for Belgium's second and third group matches.[157] Robert Waseige, who coached Belgium around 2000, said that "above all, [his] 4–4–2 system [was] holy", in the sense that he left good attackers on the bench to keep his favourite formation.[158] Wilmots opted for the 4–3–3 line-up again,[159] with the intention of showing dominant football against any country.[160]

Players

Current

The following players were called up for the friendly game against Portugal on 29 March 2016, and were able to play.[161][162][163] After the 2016 Brussels bombings on 22 March, this fixture was moved from Brussels to Leiria, Portugal.[164]
Caps, goals and player numbers are correct as of 29 March 2016 after the game against Portugal.[165] Only FIFA-recognised matches are included.[upper-alpha 5]

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Thibaut Courtois (1992-05-11) 11 May 1992 34 0 England Chelsea
12 1GK Simon Mignolet (1988-03-06) 6 March 1988 16 0 England Liverpool
13 1GK Jean-François Gillet (1979-05-31) 31 May 1979 9 0 Belgium Mechelen
3 2DF Nicolas Lombaerts (1985-03-20) 20 March 1985 38 3 Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg
4 2DF Dedryck Boyata (1990-11-28) 28 November 1990 2 0 Scotland Celtic
5 2DF Jordan Lukaku (1994-07-25) 25 July 1994 2 0 Belgium Oostende
7 2DF Guillaume Gillet (1984-03-09) 9 March 1984 22 1 France Nantes
15 2DF Jason Denayer (1995-06-28) 28 June 1995 5 0 Turkey Galatasaray
16 2DF Björn Engels (1994-09-15) 15 September 1994 0 0 Belgium Club Brugge
23 2DF Thomas Vermaelen (1985-11-14) 14 November 1985 51 1 Spain Barcelona
6 3MF Axel Witsel (1989-01-12) 12 January 1989 64 6 Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg
8 3MF Marouane Fellaini (1987-11-22) 22 November 1987 65 15 England Manchester United
14 3MF Dries Mertens (1987-05-06) 6 May 1987 42 8 Italy Napoli
18 3MF Radja Nainggolan (1988-05-04) 4 May 1988 18 4 Italy Roma
19 3MF Mousa Dembélé (1987-07-16) 16 July 1987 63 5 England Tottenham Hotspur
21 3MF Thorgan Hazard (1993-03-29) 29 March 1993 1 0 Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach
22 3MF Nacer Chadli (1989-08-02) 2 August 1989 31 3 England Tottenham Hotspur
9 4FW Michy Batshuayi (1993-10-02) 2 October 1993 3 2 France Marseille
10 4FW Romelu Lukaku (1993-05-13) 13 May 1993 41 9 England Everton
11 4FW Kevin Mirallas (1987-10-05) 5 October 1987 50 9 England Everton

Recent

The following footballers were part of a national selection in the past 12 months,[167][168][169][170][171] but are not part of the current squad.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Matz Sels (1992-02-26) 26 February 1992 0 0 Belgium Gent v.  Spain,[lower-greek 1] 17 November 2015
DF Toby Alderweireld INJ (1989-03-02) 2 March 1989 52 1 England Tottenham Hotspur v.  Portugal, 29 March 2016 WD[163]
DF Jan Vertonghen INJ (3rd captain) (1987-04-24) 24 April 1987 74 6 England Tottenham Hotspur v.  Spain,[lower-greek 1] 17 November 2015
DF Thomas Meunier (1991-09-12) 12 September 1991 5 0 Belgium Club Brugge v.  Spain,[lower-greek 1] 17 November 2015
DF Luis Pedro Cavanda (1991-01-02) 2 January 1991 2 0 Turkey Trabzonspor v.  Spain,[lower-greek 1] 17 November 2015
DF Vincent Kompany INJ (Captain) (1986-04-10) 10 April 1986 70 4 England Manchester City v.  Italy, 13 November 2015 WD[168]
DF Laurent Ciman (1985-08-05) 5 August 1985 9 0 Canada Montreal Impact v.  Cyprus, 6 September 2015
DF Anthony Vanden Borre (1987-10-24) 24 October 1987 28 1 Belgium Anderlecht v.  Wales, 12 June 2015
DF Olivier Deschacht (1981-02-16) 16 February 1981 20 0 Belgium Anderlecht v.  Wales, 12 June 2015
MF Yannick Ferreira Carrasco INJ (1993-09-04) 4 September 1993 4 0 Spain Atlético Madrid v.  Portugal, 29 March 2016 WD[163]
MF Eden Hazard INJ (Vice-captain) (1991-01-07) 7 January 1991 62 12 England Chelsea v.  Spain,[lower-greek 1] 17 November 2015
MF Kevin De Bruyne INJ (1991-06-28) 28 June 1991 34 11 England Manchester City v.  Spain,[lower-greek 1] 17 November 2015
MF Steven Defour (1988-04-15) 15 April 1988 46 2 Belgium Anderlecht v.  Spain,[lower-greek 1] 17 November 2015
MF Sven Kums (1988-02-26) 26 February 1988 0 0 Belgium Gent v.  Spain,[lower-greek 1] 17 November 2015
MF Zakaria Bakkali (1996-01-26) 26 January 1996 2 0 Spain Valencia v.  Israel, 13 October 2015
MF Leander Dendoncker (1995-04-25) 25 April 1995 1 0 Belgium Anderlecht v.  Wales, 12 June 2015
MF Youri Tielemans (1997-05-07) 7 May 1997 0 0 Belgium Anderlecht v.  Wales, 12 June 2015
FW Christian Benteke INJ (1990-12-03) 3 December 1990 24 6 England Liverpool v.  Portugal, 29 March 2016 WD[162]
FW Divock Origi INJ (1995-04-18) 18 April 1995 16 3 England Liverpool v.  Portugal, 29 March 2016 WD[162]
FW Laurent Depoitre (1988-12-07) 7 December 1988 1 1 Belgium Gent v.  Spain,[lower-greek 1] 17 November 2015 WD[173]
FW Adnan Januzaj (1995-02-05) 5 February 1995 5 0 England Manchester United v.  Cyprus, 6 September 2015
Notes
INJ = Not part of the current squad due to injury
WD = Withdrew from this squad due to injury
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 The fixture against Spain did not in fact take place: it was cancelled due to the terror threat after the November 2015 Paris attacks.[172]

Notable

Player on the pitch in national team outfit
Paul Van Himst

Between 1904 and 1980, mainly attacking Belgium players were recognised as talented footballers. Before World War I, strikers Robert De Veen and Alphonse Six were famous; De Veen was very productive with 26 goals in 23 international appearances,[4] while historian Richard Henshaw described Six as "Belgium's greatest player in the prewar period ... [who] was often called the most skillful forward outside Great Britain".[30] The key player of the victorious 1920 Olympic squad was Robert Coppée, who scored a hat-trick past Spain's Ricardo Zamora.[174] Other outstanding Belgian players in the interwar period were topscorer Bernard Voorhoof[54] and "Belgium's football grandmaster" Raymond Braine,[175][176] both strikers.

Gifted players in the 1940s and 1950s included attackers Jef Mermans, Pol Anoul and Rik Coppens, and centre-back Louis Carré.[30] The 1960s and early 1970s were the glory days of forward and four-time Belgian Golden Shoe Paul Van Himst,[177] later elected as the Belgian UEFA Golden Player of 1954–2003[178] and Belgium's Player of the Century by IFFHS.[179] Decades after Coppens and Van Himst had retired from playing football, a journalist on a Flemish television show asked them, "Who [from both of you] was the best, actually?". Coppens replied, "I will ask Paul that ... If Paul says it was me, then he's right".[180] In 1966, striker Raoul Lambert and defending midfielder Wilfried Van Moer joined the national team;[54] while Lambert was praised for his skills at Euro 1972,[181] Van Moer won three Golden Shoes.[177]

Belgium has seen two talented waves since 1980, with several players in defensive positions gaining international fame. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Belgium's world-class footballers included goalkeepers Jean-Marie Pfaff[182][183] and Michel Preud'homme,[183][184] and midfielder Jan Ceulemans,[182][185] who played alongside right-back Eric Gerets,[186] midfielders Enzo Scifo[187] and Franky Van der Elst,[188] and strikers Luc Nilis[189] and Erwin Vandenbergh.[190] All of these players had retired from international football by 2000.[54]

During the 12 years in which Belgium qualified for no major tournaments, another golden generation matured, most of whom later featured in foreign top football leagues—in particular the English Premier League. As of July 2013, 12 Belgian national team players would play the next season in England's top division.[191] The attacking compartment of this generation comprises forwards Kevin Mirallas, Romelu Lukaku, Christian Benteke and Divock Origi, and wingers Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens and Kevin De Bruyne. The central midfield includes Mousa Dembélé, Marouane Fellaini, Axel Witsel and Radja Nainggolan. The defence consists of outfield players Vincent Kompany, Jan Vertonghen, Thomas Vermaelen and Toby Alderweireld, and goalkeepers Thibaut Courtois and Simon Mignolet.[67][69]

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

Belgium failed to progress past the first round of their earliest five World Cup participations. After two scoreless defeats at the inaugural World Cup in 1930,[27] the team scored in their first-round knockout games in the 1934 edition and the 1938 edition—but only enough to save their honour.[28][29] In 1954, they tied with England (4–4 after extra time),[35] and in 1970 they won their first World Cup match, against El Salvador (3–0).[40] From 1982 until 2002, Belgium reached six successive World Cups by playing qualification rounds, and advanced to the second phase five times. In the 1982 FIFA World Cup opener, Belgium beat defending champions Argentina 1–0. Their tournament ended in the second group stage after a Polish hat-trick from Zbigniew Boniek and a 0–1 loss against the Soviet Union.[153]

Match phase with aerial play
United States-Belgium in 1930 was the joint first ever World Cup match.

At Mexico 1986, the Belgian team achieved their best-ever World Cup run. In the knockout phase as underdogs they beat the Soviets after extra time (3–4);[192] an unnoticed offside position of Jan Ceulemans, during the initial ninety minutes allowed him to equalise (2–2) and force the match into extra time.[193] They also beat Spain in a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw, but lost to eventual champions Argentina in the semi-final 2–0, and France in the third place match (4–2).[48] In the 1990 FIFA World Cup, Belgium dominated periods of their second-round match against England;[194] Enzo Scifo hit the woodwork twice.[194] David Platt's volley in the final minute of extra time, described as "nearly blind" by Richard Witzig, led to the sudden elimination of the Belgians.[195]

In 1994, Belgium were eliminated in the second round again, losing to defending champions, Germany (3–2).[152] Afterwards, the entire Belgian delegation criticised referee Kurt Röthlisberger for not awarding a penalty for a foul on Belgian Josip Weber.[196] Three draws in the group stage of the 1998 World Cup, were insufficient for Belgium to reach the knockout stage.[157] With two draws, the 2002 FIFA World Cup started poorly for Belgium, but they won the decisive group match against Russia 3–2. In the second round, they faced eventual World Cup winners Brazil; Belgium lost 2–0 after Marc Wilmots' headed opening goal was disallowed due to a "phantom foul" on Roque Júnior.[55][197]

In 2014, Belgium beat all their group opponents with a single-goal difference.[72] Thereafter, they played an entertaining[198] round of 16 game against the United States, in which American goalkeeper Tim Howard made 15 saves[upper-alpha 6] however, they defeated the US 2–1 in extra time.[72] In a balanced quarter-final, Argentina eliminated Belgium, after a 1–0 victory.[200]

Belgium's FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Host nation(s)
and year		 Round Pos Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Outcome Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Round 1 11th of 13 2 0 0 2 0 4 Squad Qualified as invitees
Italy 1934 15th of 16 1 0 0 1 2 5 Squad 2nd of 4 2 0 1 1 6 8
France 1938 13th of 15 1 0 0 1 1 3 Squad 2nd of 4 2 1 1 0 4 3
Brazil 1950 Withdrew[201] Withdrew
Switzerland 1954 Group stage 12th of 16 2 0 1 1 5 8 Squad 1st of 3 4 3 1 0 11 6
Sweden 1958 Did not qualify 2nd of 3 4 2 1 1 16 11
Chile 1962 3rd of 3 4 0 0 4 3 10
England 1966 1st of 4, playoff loss 5 3 0 2 12 5
Mexico 1970 Group stage 10th of 16 3 1 0 2 4 5 Squad 1st of 4 6 4 1 1 14 8
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify 2nd of 4 6 4 2 0 12 0
Argentina 1978 2nd of 4 6 3 0 3 7 6
Spain 1982 Group stage 2 10th of 24 5 2 1 2 3 5 Squad 1st of 5 8 5 1 2 12 9
Mexico 1986 Fourth place 4th of 24 7 2 2* 3 12 15 Squad 2nd of 4, playoff win 8 4 2 2 9 5
Italy 1990 Round of 16 11th of 24 4 2 0 2 6 4 Squad 1st of 5 8 4 4 0 15 5
United States 1994 11th of 24 4 2 0 2 4 4 Squad 2nd of 6 10 7 1 2 16 5
France 1998 Group stage 19th of 32 3 0 3 0 3 3 Squad 2nd of 5, playoff win 10 7 1 2 23 13
South Korea Japan 2002 Round of 16 14th of 32 4 1 2 1 6 7 Squad 2nd of 5, playoff win 10 7 2 1 27 6
Germany 2006 Did not qualify 4th of 6 10 3 3 4 16 11
South Africa 2010 4th of 6 10 3 1 6 13 20
Brazil 2014 Quarter-finals 6th of 32 5 4 0 1 6 3 Squad 1st of 6 10 8 2 0 18 4
Russia 2018 To be determined
Qatar 2022
Total Best: Fourth place 12/20 41 14 9 18 52 66 — Total 123 68 24 31 234 135
     Champions       Runners-up       Third place       Fourth place
* Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA European Championship

Goalkeeper who reaches high for the ball and bumps into a teammate
Jean-Marie Pfaff performs a save during the Euro 1980 group match against England.

With four successful qualification campaigns out of thirteen, Belgium's performance in the European Championship does not match their World Cup record. Belgium has hosted or co-hosted the event twice; they were chosen to host the 1972 European Football Championship from three candidates,[upper-alpha 7] and they hosted UEFA Euro 2000 with the Netherlands.[upper-alpha 8][50]

At Euro 1972, Belgium finished third after losing 1–2 against West Germany and beating Hungary 2–1.[41] The team's best continental result is their second place at the Euro 1980 in Italy. By finishing first in their group, Belgium reached the final, in which they faced West Germany. Horst Hrubesch scored first for West Germany, but René Vandereycken equalised courtesy of a penalty. Two minutes before the regular playing time ended, Hrubesch's scored again, to deny Belgium a first UEFA European Championship.[45]

At Euro 1984, in their last and decisive group match against Denmark, the Belgian team took a 0–2 lead, but the Danes won the match 3–2.[49] Sixteen years later, Belgium automatically reappeared at UEFA's national team tournament as co-hosts. After winning the Euro 2000 opener against Sweden 2–1,[204] two 2–0 losses against eventual runners-up Italy and Turkey eliminated the Belgians from the tournament by the end of the group stage.[50]

Belgium's UEFA European Championship record Qualification record
Host nation(s)
and year		 Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad Outcome Pld W D L GF GA
France 1960 Did not enter Did not enter
Spain 1964 Did not qualify Preliminary loss 2 0 0 2 2 4
Italy 1968 2nd of 4 6 3 1 2 14 9
Belgium 1972 Third place 3rd of 4 2 1 0 1 3 3 Squad Quarter-finals win 8 5 2 1 13 4
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 Did not qualify 1st of 4, playoff loss 8 3 2 3 7 10
Italy 1980 Runners-up 2nd of 8 4 1 2 1 4 4 Squad 1st of 5 8 4 4 0 12 5
France 1984 Group stage 6th of 8 3 1 0 2 4 8 Squad 1st of 4 6 4 1 1 12 8
West Germany 1988 Did not qualify 3rd of 5 8 3 3 2 16 8
Sweden 1992 3rd of 4 6 2 1 3 7 6
England 1996 3rd of 6 10 4 3 3 17 13
Belgium Netherlands 2000 Group stage 12th of 16 3 1 0 2 2 5 Squad Qualified as hosts
Portugal 2004 Did not qualify 3rd of 5 8 5 1 2 11 9
Austria Switzerland 2008 5th of 8 14 5 3 6 14 16
Poland Ukraine 2012 3rd of 6 10 4 3 3 21 15
France 2016 Qualified 1st of 6 10 7 2 1 24 5
2020 To be determined
Total Best: Runners-up 5/15 12 4 2 6 13 20 — Total 104 49 26 29 170 112
     Champions       Runners-up       Third place       Fourth place

Summer Olympic Games

Aerial play with two Belgian players and the Luxembourg keeper trying to touch the ball
Hectic phase during the goal-rich Olympic win against Luxembourg in 1928 (5–3)

Football tournaments for senior men's national teams took place in six Summer Olympics between 1908 and 1936. The Belgian squad participated in all three Olympic football tournaments in the 1920s and won the gold medal on home soil in the 1920 edition.[24][25][26] Apart from the proper national team, two other Belgian delegations appeared at the Summer Olympics. At the 1900 Summer Olympics, a Belgian representation with mainly students won bronze,[205] and at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Belgium's U-23 selection placed fourth.[59]

Belgium's 1920 Olympic squad was given a bye into the quarter-finals, where they won 3–1 against Spain, and reached the semi-finals, where they beat the Netherlands 3–0. In the first half of their final against Czechoslovakia, the Belgians led 2–0.[24] Forward Robert Coppée converted a disputed early penalty, and the action in which attacker Henri Larnoe doubled the score was also a matter of debate. After the dismissal of the Czechoslovak left-back Karel Steiner, the discontented visitors left the pitch in the 40th minute. Afterwards, the away team reported their reasons for protest to the Olympic organisation;[23] these complaints were dismissed and the Czechoslovak's were disqualified.[30] The 2–0 score was allowed to stand and Belgium were crowned the champions.[30]

Records and fixtures

As of March 2016, the complete official match record of the Belgian national team comprises 734 games: 300 wins, 158 draws and 276 losses.[47][upper-alpha 5] During these games, the team scored 1,243 times and conceded 1,214 goals. Belgium reached its highest winning margin against San Marino (10–1) and Zambia (9–0).[37] Their longest winning streak is seven wins in two periods and their unbeaten record is 14 consecutive official games.[upper-alpha 5][37]

The entire match record can be examined on the following articles:

Upcoming fixtures are listed on the 2010s results page. These include Belgium's appearance at UEFA Euro 2016 and the qualification matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Player records

Player in training outfit running with the ball
Jan Ceulemans

As of 29 March 2016, Belgium's football association lists 680 players who appeared in the men's senior national team.[54][upper-alpha 9] Jan Ceulemans, who featured 96 times (8,256 minutes played), has the greatest number of caps.[54] He also started most often as team captain (48 times).[47] Hector Goetinck had the longest career as international footballer: 17 years, 6 months and 10 days.[47]

Bernard Voorhoof and Paul Van Himst are the highest-scoring Belgium players, with 30 goals each.[54] The players who scored the most goals in one match are Robert De Veen, Bert De Cleyn and Josip Weber (5);[47] De Veen also holds the record for the most hat-trick's with 3.[47] The youngest player in the senior team was Fernand Nisot, who was 16 years and 19 days old.[47][54] The oldest was Jean De Bie, who was still goalkeeper for Belgium at 38 years and 19 days old.[47][54]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The acronyms KBVB, URBSFA and KBFV come from the organisation's respective Dutch, French and German names: Koninklijke Belgische Voetbalbond, Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football-Association and Königliche Belgische Fußballverband.
    The title of "Royal Union" was awarded on its 25th anniversary in 1920.[1]</ref>Confederation UEFA (Europe)Head coach Marc Wilmots[2]Captain Vincent Kompany[3]Most caps Jan Ceulemans (96)[4]Top scorer Bernard Voorhoof and
    Paul Van Himst (30)[4]Home stadium King Baudouin StadiumFIFA code BEL
    First colours
    Second colours
    FIFA rankingCurrent 2 Steady (5 May 2016)Highest 1 (November 2015–March 2016)Lowest 71 (June 2007)Elo rankingCurrent 10 (17 November 2015)[5]Highest 2 (September 1920[6])Lowest 74 (September 2009[6])First international  Belgium 3–3 France 
    (Brussels, Belgium; 1 May 1904)Biggest win  Belgium 9–0 Zambia 
    (Brussels, Belgium; 4 June 1994)
     Belgium 10–1 San Marino 
    (Brussels, Belgium; 28 February 2001)Biggest defeat England England Amateurs 11–2 Belgium 
    (London, England; 17 April 1909)[upper-alpha 2]
  2. ↑ Note that this match is not considered to be a full international by the English FA, and does not appear in the England team records.<ref>Jostein Nygård (4 Dec 2014). "England – International Results". RSSSF. Retrieved 31 Aug 2015.
  3. ↑ UBSFA was the acronym for the organisation's French name: Union Belge des Sociétés de Football-Association.
    In 1920 it received the title of "Royal Union" for its 25th year of existence, and hence became the Royal Belgian Football Association.[11]
  4. ↑ According to the "three points for a win" standard
  5. 1 2 3 Note that the friendlies against Romania on 14 November 2012 and against Luxembourg on 26 May 2014 are not FIFA-recognised due to an excessive number of substitutions according to the Laws of the Game.[166]
  6. ↑ FIFA's initial match statistics showed 16 saves, and many news sources continue to use this number. The official FIFA statistics were updated on 5 July 2014 to show 15 saves.[199]
  7. ↑ The other bids were from England and Italy,[202] whose teams did not reach the semi-finals.[41]
  8. ↑ UEFA preferred the Belgium-Netherlands bid to the individual bids of Spain and Austria.[203]
  9. ↑ Note that the RBFA does not count caps earned in the Belgian seven Summer Olympics matches, and that it does include Belgium's friendlies on 14 November 2012 and 26 May 2014 that are not FIFA-recognised due to an excessive number of substitutions according to the Laws of the Game.[166]

References

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  3. ↑ George Ankers (10 Nov 2011). "Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen disappointed to lose Belgium captaincy to Manchester City's Vincent Kompany". Goal.com. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
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  143. ↑ "La France et la Belgique" (in French). France Diplomatie. Retrieved 22 Aug 2015.
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  206. ↑ Swedish Olympic Committee 1913, p. 483.

Bibliography

Further reading

  • Aerts, Bart; Buyse, Frank; Colin, François; Cornez, Pierre; Decoster, Gilles; Deferme, Dirk; et al. (2013). De Rode Duivels. Het officiële boek (in Dutch). Veurne: Uitgeverij Kannibaal. ISBN 978-94-91376-66-5. 
  • Colin, François (2014). De Rode Duivels 1900–2014 (in Dutch). Veurne: Uitgeverij Kannibaal. ISBN 978-94-91376-77-1. 
  • Hubert, Christian (1994). De Montevideo à Orlando (in French). Brussels: Labor. ISBN 978-2-8040-1009-6. 
  • Hubert, Christian (2006). Le siècle des Diables Rouges (in French). Brussels: Luc Pire. ISBN 978-2-87415-684-7. 

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