Belgium national football team records

This article lists various team and individual football records in relation to the Belgian national football team (The Red Devils). The page currently shows the records as of 29 March 2016, after the match against Portugal.

Team records

[1]

Wins

Red Devils are still kind

“
”

 —Belgian newspaper heading after the national team won 10–1 against San Marino in 2001[2]

Incredible Josip Weber turns the Heysel into a shooting range

“
”

 —Dutch newspaper subheading after Belgium's 9–0 home win against Zambia in 1994; Weber scored 5 times[3]

Largest win 
Largest away win
0–6 vs  Luxembourg on 14 October 1986
Largest win at the World Cup Finals 
3–0 vs  El Salvador on 3 June 1970, 1970 World Cup
Largest win at the European Championship finals 
2–0 vs  Yugoslavia on 13 June 1984, Euro 1984
Largest win at the Olympic Games finals 
3–0 vs  Netherlands on 31 August 1920, VIIth Olympiad

Draws

It didn't make sense at all, this match.

“
”

 —Dutch international Frank De Boer, after the high Netherlands-Belgium scoring draw (5–5) in 1999[4]

Highest scoring draw 
5–5 vs  Netherlands on 4 September 1999
Highest scoring draw at the World Cup Finals 
4–4 (a.e.t) vs  England on 17 June 1954, 1954 World Cup
Highest scoring draw at the European Championship finals 
1–1 vs  England on 12 June 1980, Euro 1980
Highest scoring draw at the Olympic Games finals 
None

Defeats

The English probably found a dozen enough!

“
”

 —Mockery Dutch newspaper comment after Belgium's unofficial 12–0 loss to Corinthian, their biggest ever defeat[5]

Largest defeat
11–2 vs England Amateurs on 17 April 1909
Including unofficial games: 12–0 vs Corinthian on 6 January 1906[6]
Largest defeat at home
1–9 vs  England on 11 May 1927
Largest defeat at the World Cup Finals
Largest defeat at the European Championship finals 
5–0 vs  France on 16 June 1984, Euro 1984

Belgium-Sweden 1–8,
Sweden cracks Belgium.

“
”

 —Dutch newspaper heading after Belgium suffered its largest defeat at a major tournament, at the 1924 Summer Olympics[7]

Largest defeat at the Olympic Games finals 
1–8 vs  Sweden on 29 May 1924, VIIIth Olympiad

Goals

Scored

Most goals scored in a single game 
10 goals vs  San Marino on 28 February 2001
Most goals scored during an away game
7 goals vs  Netherlands on 25 November 1951
Most goals scored in a single game during the World Cup Finals, including extra time 
Most goals scored in a single game during the World Cup Finals, not including extra time 
3 goals vs  England on 17 June 1954, 1954 World Cup
Most goals scored in a single game during the European Championship Finals 
Match phase of Belgium's most productive Olympic game, against Luxembourg in 1928 (5–3)
Most goals scored in a single game during the Olympic Games finals 
5 goals vs  Luxembourg on 27 May 1928, IXth Olympiad
Most different players scoring during a single game 

Conceded

Most goals conceded in a single game
11 goals vs England Amateurs on 17 April 1909
Including unofficial games: 12 goals vs Corinthian on 6 January 1906[6]
Most goals conceded during a home game
9 goals vs  England on 11 May 1927
Most goals conceded in a single game during the World Cup Finals 
5 goals vs Nazi Germany Germany on 27 May 1934, 1934 World Cup
Most goals conceded in a single game during the European Championship Finals 
5 goals vs  France on 16 June 1984, Euro 1984
Most goals conceded in a single game during the Olympic Games finals 
8 goals vs  Sweden on 29 May 1924, VIIIth Olympiad

Scored+conceded

Highest total amount of goals in a single game 

Thirteen times a hole in the air...

“
”

 —Dutch newspaper heading after the goal-rich 1951 Netherlands-Belgium encounter; both supporter sides together had 13 reasons to jump in the air[8]

Streaks

Unbeaten record 
14 games, from 2012 till 2013[note 1]
Longest run without victory 
13, from 1933 till 1935
Most consecutive wins 
7, from 1979 till 1980 and from 2012 till 2013[note 2]
Most consecutive draws 
4 from 1948 till 1949 and in 1998
Most consecutive losses 
7, from 1927 till 1928
Most consecutive games with at least one goal scored 
21, from 1937 till 1945
Most consecutive games without a goal scored 
5, in 1999
Most consecutive games without a goal conceded 
5, from 1972 till 1973 and in 1989
Most consecutive games with at least one goal conceded 
38, from 1928 till 1933

World Rankings

FIFA

Source: FIFA.com[10]

Belgium go top, Chile and Austria soar

“
”

 —FIFA News announcing Belgium's highest ever FIFA World Ranking in November 2015[11]

Highest FIFA ranking 
1st (November 2015 – March 2016)
Lowest FIFA ranking 
71st (June 2007)
Best Mover 
+25 (April 2011)
Worst Mover 
-14 (September 2010)

Elo

Source: Eloratings.net[12]

Highest Elo ranking 
2nd (September 1920)
Lowest Elo ranking 
74th (September 2009)

Achievements

Major titles

Belgium's 1920 Olympic champions, and one of the 154 gold medals awarded at these Games of the VII Olympiad
Olympic football tournament[13]
Gold Medal (1): 1920

Friendly trophies

The Coupe Vanden Abeele
Shared (1): 1904
Winners (3): 1906, 1922, 1925
Shared (3): 1913, 1921, 1924
Winners (5): 1906, 1907, 1913, 1922, 1926
Shared (5): 1923, 1924, 1928 (2x), 1930
Shared (1): 1999

Awards

Winners (1): 2002
Winners (2): 2013, 2014
Winners (1): 2015

Other achievements

Fourth place (1): 1986
Runners-up (1): 1980
Third place (1): 1972


Individual

Appearances

General

[21][22]

Most appearances
Jan Ceulemans, 96 caps, 1977–91
Jan Ceulemans, nicknamed Caje and Strong Jan, is both Belgium's record international and record captain.

The top 10 most capped players - players with an equal number of caps are ranked in chronological order of reaching the milestone

# Name Belgium career Caps Goals Position
1 Jan Ceulemans 1977–1991 96 23 MF/FW
2 Timmy Simons 2001–2013 93 6 DF/MF
3 Eric Gerets 1975–1991 86 2 DF
Franky Van der Elst 1984–1998 86 1 MF
5 Enzo Scifo 1984–1999 84 18 MF
6 Daniel Van Buyten 2001–2014 83 10 DF
7 Paul Van Himst 1960–1974 81 30 FW
8 Bart Goor 1999–2008 78 13 MF
9 Georges Grün 1984–1995 77 6 DF
10 Jan Vertonghen 2007– 74 6 DF

As of 29 March 2016. The records are collected based on data from FIFA and RSSSF.
Highlighted names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

Most consecutive appearances 
Louis Carré, 50 games, from 22 May 1949 (vs  Wales) until 11 March 1956 (vs   Switzerland)
Most appearances as a substitute 
Mbo Mpenza, 28 caps
Most selections on the bench without ever earning a cap 
Jacques Duquesne, during 16 matches
Most selections (playing + non-playing) 
Timmy Simons, 112 selections
Most appearances as a substitute without ever starting a game 
Tom Soetaers, 8 caps
Hector Goetinck was the player with the longest career span, and the first national manager with the Belgian nationality.
Longest Belgian career 
Hector Goetinck, 6402 days or 17 years, 6 months and 10 days between first (vs  France on 22 April 1906) and last cap (vs  England on 1 November 1923)
Shortest Belgian career 
Joris Van Hout, 2 minutes (on 16 October 2002 vs  Estonia)
Most consecutive calendar years of appearances 
Paul Van Himst (1960–'74) & Jan Ceulemans (1977–'91), 15 years
Longest wait between appearances 
Hector Goetinck, 3476 days or 9 years, 6 months and 27 days, between his 16th (vs  Netherlands on 26 April 1914) and his 17th and final cap (vs  England on 1 November 1923)
Appearances in three separate decades
Smallest amount of caps needed to appear in three separate decades
Georges Hebdin, 10 caps (total number of caps obtained: 12)
First player to debut as a substitute 
Louis Van Hege, vs  France on 9 March 1919
First appearance by a player who was playing abroad 
Raymond Braine (Sparta Prague), Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia, vs  France on 14 April 1935
First appearance by a player who had never played for the senior team of a Belgian club 
Thomas Buffel, vs  Andorra on 12 October 2002
First appearance by a player born outside Belgium 
Eric Thornton (born in  England), vs  Netherlands on 30 April 1905
First appearance by a player born outside of Europe 
Luís Oliveira (born in  Brazil), vs  Tunisia on 26 February 1992
Last appearance by a player from a Belgian club outside the top division 
Paul Van Den Berg (Union), Belgian Second Division, vs  Portugal on 3 May 1964
Last appearance by a player from outside the top division of any country 
Radja Nainggolan (Piacenza), Italy Italian Serie B, vs  Chile on 29 May 2009
Most appearances without ever playing for the first team of a Belgian club 
Jan Vertonghen, 74 caps
Most appearances while active with a non-Belgian club 
Daniel Van Buyten (Marseille, Hamburg & Bayern Munich), 81 caps
Players appearing against the country of their birth 
Highest number of players born outside Belgium simultaneously on the field 
3 (Luís Oliveira, Gordan Vidović & Mbo Mpenza) vs  France on 27 May 1998
Players also appearing for another senior national team 
Players capped while active outside of Europe 

Age-related

Youngest player
Fernand Nisot, 16 years and 19 days, on 30 April 1911 vs  Netherlands

The top 10 youngest players who played for the first time for the national football team of Belgium, their team at that time and their usual position

Fernand Nisot was Belgium's youngest player and the only who scored before the age of 17.
# Player (Team) Age Position
1 Fernand Nisot (Léopold Club) 16 years, 19 days FW
2 Anthony Vanden Borre (Anderlecht) 16 years, 187 days DF/MF
3 Romelu Lukaku (Anderlecht) 16 years, 296 days FW
4 Paul Van Himst (Anderlecht) 17 years, 17 days FW
5 Jean Capelle (Standard Liège) 17 years, 153 days FW
6 Joseph Musch (Union) 17 years, 198 days DF
7 Zakaria Bakkali (PSV) 17 years, 262 days MF
8 Vincent Kompany (Anderlecht) 17 years, 314 days DF
9 Eden Hazard (Lille) 17 years, 316 days MF/FW
10 Ray Braine (Beerschot) 17 years, 321 days FW
Oldest player 
Jean De Bie, 38 years and 19 days, vs  Portugal on 8 June 1930
Goalkeeper Jean De Bie, the only Devil to play at age 38

The top 10 oldest players for the national football team of Belgium, their team at that time and their usual position

# Player (Team) Age Position
1 Jean De Bie (Racing Brussels) 38 years, 19 days GK
2 Philippe Vande Walle (Club Brugge) 37 years, 256 days GK
3 Hector Goetinck (Club Brugge) 37 years, 241 days MF
4 Wilfried Van Moer (Beveren) 37 years, 119 days MF
5 Franky Van der Elst (Club Brugge) 37 years, 56 days MF
6 Danny Boffin (Sint-Truiden) 36 years, 320 days MF
7 Eric Gerets (PSV) 36 years, 313 days DF
8 Michel De Wolf (Marseille) 36 years, 231 days DF
9 Timmy Simons (Nürnberg) 36 years, 169 days DF/MF
10 Daniel Van Buyten (Bayern Munich) 36 years, 148 days DF

Highlighted names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

Oldest outfield player 
Hector Goetinck, 37 years, 7 months and 27 days, vs  England on 1 November 1923
Oldest debutant 
Dany Verlinden, 34 years, 10 months and 7 days, vs  Norway on 25 March 1998
Oldest outfield debutant 
Jozef Van Looy, 34 years, 2 months and 16 days, vs  England on 18 May 1950
Oldest player to feature at the World Cup finals 
Wilfried Van Moer, 37 years, 3 months and 27 days, 1982 FIFA World Cup, vs  Poland on 28 June 1982
Youngest player to feature at the World Cup finals 
Divock Origi, 19 years, 1 month and 30 days, 2014 FIFA World Cup, vs  Algeria on 17 June 2014
Oldest player to feature at the European Championship finals 
Lorenzo Staelens, 36 years, 1 months and 20 days, Euro 2000, vs  Turkey on 19 June 2000
Youngest player to feature at the European Championship finals 
Enzo Scifo, 18 years, 3 months and 25 days, Euro 1984, vs  Yugoslavia on 13 June 1984

On major tournaments

Most tournaments appeared in consecutively
Jan Ceulemans, Jean-Marie Pfaff and Erwin Vandenbergh, 4 tournaments (all played at Euro 1980, World Cup 1982, Euro 1984 and World Cup 1986)
Most appearances on aggregate at the World Cup and European Championship finals 
Jan Ceulemans, 23 caps
Most non-playing selections on aggregate for the World Cup and European Championship finals 
Jacky Munaron, 13 selections
Most non-playing selections on aggregate for the World Cup and European Championship finals without ever playing in a tournament 
Gilbert Bodart, 11 selections
Most appearances without ever playing at the World Cup finals or the European Championship finals 
Jef Jurion, 64 caps
Fewest appearances while still playing at both the World Cup finals and European Championship finals 
Jacky Peeters & Branko Strupar, 17 caps
Most appearances without ever being in a World Cup or European Championship finals squad 
Jef Jurion, 64 caps
First player to make tournament appearances in three separate decades
None

FIFA World Cup

Most selections in the squad for the World Cup finals 
Franky Van der Elst, Enzo Scifo (both at the 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998 World Cups) & Marc Wilmots (1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002 World Cups), 4 World Cups
Most appearances in different World Cup finals 
Franky Van der Elst, Enzo Scifo, both at the 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998 World Cups), 4 World Cups
Most appearances at the World Cup finals 
Enzo Scifo, 17 caps
Most appearances without ever playing at the World Cup finals  
Jef Jurion, 64 caps
Most non-playing selections for the World Cup finals 
Gilbert Bodart, 11 selections
Most selections for the World Cup finals without ever playing in the tournament
Gilbert Bodart, 11 selections
Fewest appearances while still playing at the World Cup finals
Gérard Delbeke, 1 cap
First player to debut at the World Cup finals 
Henri De Deken & Gérard Delbeke, 1930 FIFA World Cup, vs Paraguay on 20 July 1930

UEFA European Championship

Most selections in the squad for the European Championship finals 
Maurice Martens (Euro 1972 & Euro 1980), Jan Ceulemans (Euro 1980 & Euro 1984), Jean-Marie Pfaff (Euro 1980 & Euro 1984), Erwin Vandenbergh (Euro 1980 & Euro 1984) and René Vandereycken (Euro 1980 & Euro 1984), 2 final tournaments
Most appearances at the European Championship finals 
Jan Ceulemans, Jean-Marie Pfaff & René Vandereycken, 7 caps
Most consecutive appearances at the European Championship finals 
Jan Ceulemans, Jean-Marie Pfaff, Erwin Vandenbergh & René Vandereycken, 2 final tournaments (Euro 1980 & Euro 1984)
Fewest appearances while still playing at the European Championship finals 
Walter De Greef & Paul Lambrichts, 5 caps
Most appearances without ever playing at the European Championship finals 
Timmy Simons, 93 caps
Appearances at most European Championship finals 
Jan Ceulemans, Jean-Marie Pfaff, Erwin Vandenbergh & René Vandereycken, 2 final tournaments (Euro 1980 & Euro 1984)
Most non-playing selections for the European Championship finals 
Maurice Martens, 5 selections
Most non-playing selections for the European Championship finals without ever playing in the tournament
Guy Dardenne, Jos Heyligen, Marc Millecamps, Gerard Plessers, Michel Preud'homme & Willy Wellens, 4 selections
First player to debut at the European Championship finals 
Georges Grün, Euro 1984, vs  Yugoslavia on 13 June 1984

Goals

General

[21]

First goal 
Georges Quéritet vs  France on 1 May 1904
Most goals 
Bernard Voorhoof (1928–'40) and Paul Van Himst (1960–'74), both 30

As of 29 March 2016, the players with the most goals for Belgium are:

(Goalscorers with an equal number of goals are ranked with the highest to lowest goals per game ratio.)

Bernard Voorhoof (left) and Paul Van Himst, joint all-time topscorers with 30 goals
# Name Belgium career Goals Caps Position Goals per game
1 Bernard Voorhoof 1928–1940 30 61 FW 0.4918
Paul Van Himst 1960–1974 30 81 FW 0.3704
3 Joseph Mermans 1945–1956 28 56 FW 0.5000
Marc Wilmots 1990–2002 28 70 MF 0.4000
5 Robert De Veen 1906–1913 26 23 FW 1.1304
6 Wesley Sonck 2001–2010 24 55 FW 0.4364
7 Ray Braine 1925–1939 23 52 FW 0.4423
Marc Degryse 1984–1996 23 63 FW 0.3651
9 Jan Ceulemans 1976–1991 22 96 MF/FW 0.2292
10 Rik Coppens 1949–1959 21 47 FW 0.4468

The records are collected based on data from FIFA and RSSSF.
Highlighted names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

Players with the highest goals per game ratio (greater than one) 

As of 29 March 2016, the players with the highest goals per game ratio (greater than one) for Belgium are:

(Players with an equal goals per game ratio are ranked by the most goals scored.)

# Name Belgium career Goals Caps Position Goals per game
1 Jules Van Craen 1940 4 2 FW 2
Georges Quéritet 1904 2 1 FW 2
3 Maurice Willems 1956-1957 4 3 FW 1.3333
4 Robert De Veen 1906–1913 26 23 FW 1.1304

The records are collected based on data from FIFA and RSSSF.
Highlighted names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

Most goals in competitive matches 
Marc Wilmots, 18
Jef Mermans scored in seven matches in a row.
Scoring in most consecutive matches 
Jef Mermans, 7 games in a row
Scoring in most consecutive matches starting with debut 
Alphonse Six & Maurice Willems, 3 games in a row
Most goals on debut 
Josip Weber, 5 goals vs Zambia on 4 June 1994
Most goals in a single calendar year
Jef Mermans, 12 goals in 1950
Most goals scored by a defender 
Daniel Van Buyten (10)
Christian Piot, the only goalkeeper ever to score a goal for Belgium
Most goals scored by a goalkeeper 
Christian Piot (1)
First goal by a substitute 
François Van den Eynde, vs  Irish Free State on 25 February 1934
Most goals scored as a substitute 
Marc Wilmots, Wesley Sonck and Dries Mertens, 4 goals
Most goals scored by a substitute in a single game 
Bob Peeters, 3 goals vs  San Marino on 28 February 2001
Most appearances for an outfield player without ever scoring 
Georges Heylens, 67 matches
Most appearances needed to score his first goal 
Franky Van der Elst, 79 matches
Goals in three separate decades
First Belgian goalscorer at the King Baudouin Stadium 
August Hellemans (when it was still the Centenaire Stadium), Michaël Goossens (after it was renamed King Baudouin Stadium)
Scorers of own goals
Robert Hustin, Edgard Poelmans, Oscar Verbeeck, Émile Stijnen, Bob Paverick, Charles Saeys, Walter Meeuws, Régis Genaux, Philippe Albert, Timmy Simons, Olivier Deschacht, Bart Goor and Vincent Kompany

Hat-tricks

Most goals in a match 
Four goals in a match 
Three goals in a match 
Belgium's 'hat-trick hero' Robert De Veen scored three hat-tricks.
Most hat-tricks 
Robert De Veen, 3 times
Fastest hat-trick 
Robert De Veen, 22 minutes, vs  France on 30 April 1911
Fastest hat-trick as a substitute 
Bob Peeters, 30 minutes, vs  San Marino on 28 February 2001
Youngest player to score a hat-trick 
Jean Capelle, 18 years, 7 months and 10 days, vs  Denmark on 5 June 1932
Oldest player to score a hat-trick 
Josip Weber, 29 years, 6 months and 16 days, vs Zambia on 4 June 1994

Penalties

First player to score a penalty 
Gaston Hubin vs  France on 28 January 1912
Most goals scored from penalties 
Raoul Lambert and Timmy Simons, 6 goals
Most goals in penalty shoot-outs in competitive games[note 3] 
Nico Claesen, Enzo Scifo, Hugo Broos, Patrick Vervoort and Leo Van der Elst all 1 goal vs  Spain on 22 June 1986
Most goals in penalty shoot-outs, including friendlies

Fastest

The ball has barely been kicked off or the Belgians already have a reason to cheer.

“
”

 —Dutch newspaper comment about Ceuleers' 1st minute goal during Belgium-Netherlands in 1937[23]

Fastest goal from kickoff 
between 35 and 40 seconds, Arthur Ceuleers vs  Netherlands on 4 April 1937[24]
Fastest goal in debut match (since World War II) 
Tom Caluwé vs  Saudi Arabia on 11 May 2006, 2 minutes and 52 seconds[25]
Fastest goal at the World Cup finals 
Pol Anoul, in the 5th minute vs  England on 17 June 1954
Fastest goal at the European Championship finals 
Eric Gerets, in the 17th minute vs Spain on 15 June 1980

Age-related

Oldest goalscorer 
Wilfried Van Moer, 37 years, 1 month and 27 days, vs Bulgaria on 28 April 1982
Youngest goalscorer 
Fernand Nisot, 16 years, 10 months and 27 days, vs  Netherlands on 10 March 1912
Oldest goalscorer at the World Cup finals 
Lei Clijsters, 33 years, 7 months and 11 days, 1990 FIFA World Cup, vs  Uruguay on 17 June 1990
Youngest goalscorer at the World Cup finals 
Divock Origi, 19 years, 2 months and 4 days, 2014 FIFA World Cup, vs  Russia on 22 June 2014
Oldest goalscorer at the European Championship finals 
Julien Cools, 33 years, 4 months and 2 days, Euro 1980, vs Spain on 15 June 1980
Youngest goalscorer at the European Championship finals 
Émile Mpenza, 21 years, 11 months and 6 days, Euro 2000, vs  Sweden on 10 June 2000

On major tournaments

Most consecutive goalscoring tournaments
Erwin Vandenbergh; 1 at the 1982 World Cup, 1 at Euro 1984 and 1 at the 1986 World Cup
Most goals in an Olympic Games finals match 
Robert Coppée, 3 goals vs Spain on 29 August 1920

FIFA World Cup

Most goals in a single World Cup tournament 
Jan Ceulemans (in 1986) and Marc Wilmots (in 2002), 3 goals
In his player career, Marc Wilmots became Belgium's all-time top scorer at the World Cup with five goals.
Most goals in total at World Cup tournaments 
Marc Wilmots, 5 goals (in 1998, 2002)
Most goals in a single World Cup qualifying campaign 
Marc Wilmots, 7 goals (in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers)
Most goals in a single World Cup finals match 
Most goals in a single World Cup qualifying match 
Marc Van Der Linden, 4 goals vs  Luxembourg on 1 June 1989
First goal in a World Cup finals match 
Bernard Voorhoof, 1934 FIFA World Cup vs Nazi Germany Germany on 27 May 1934
First goal in a World Cup qualifying campaign 
Jean Capelle, vs  Irish Free State on 25 February 1934

UEFA European Championship

Most goals in a single European Championship tournament 
11 players with 1 goal at one or two European Championships
Most goals in total at European Championship tournaments 
Jan Ceulemans, 2 goals
Most goals in a single European Championship qualifying campaign 
Nico Claesen, 7 goals, 1988 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying
Most goals in a single European Championship finals match 
11 players with 1 goal at one or two European Championships matches
Most goals in a single European Championship qualifying match 
First goal in a European Championship finals match 
Odilon Polleunis vs  West Germany on 14 June 1972
First goal in a European Championship qualifying campaign 
Jacques Stockman vs  Yugoslavia on 4 November 1962

Captains

First captain 
Camille Van Hoorden
Most appearances as captain 
Jan Ceulemans

Most captaincies

Top-10 of players most often assigned as captain (at the start of an international game)

Jef Jurion, the second most serving Belgium captain, became Belgian champion nine times with Anderlecht.

Correct as of 29 March 2016 after the match against Portugal. Only FIFA-recognised matches are included.[note 4]

# Name Captaincy Times Position
1 Jan Ceulemans 1984–'91 48 MF/FW
2 Jef Jurion 1960–'67 39 MF
3 Paul Van Himst 1964–'74 38 FW
4 Armand Swartenbroeks 1914–'28 37 DF
5 Timmy Simons 2004–'09 36 DF/MF
6 Vincent Kompany 2010–Today 34 DF
7 Jef Mermans 1949–'56 30 FW
8 Eric Gerets 1980–'91 26 DF
9 Georges Grün 1989–'95 25 DF
10 Marc Wilmots 1999–2002 23 MF

Disciplinary

Red cards

Devils Goor and Deflandre red from anger

“
”

 —Word-play in a 2004 newspaper heading. Only in one match of Belgium so far, two players received a red card. Both were very displeased with their five- and three-day suspensions afterwards.[26]

2 expulsions 
Eric Deflandre and Vincent Kompany
List of all Belgian players sent off once
Pierre Braine, Mathieu Bollen, Georges Heylens, Pierre Hanon, Walter Meeuws, Alexandre Czerniatynski, Philippe Albert, Pascal Renier, Gert Verheyen, Tjörven De Brul, Marc Wilmots, Filip De Wilde, Olivier De Cock, Bart Goor, Mousa Dembélé, Anthony Vanden Borre, Marouane Fellaini, Axel Witsel, Nicolas Lombaerts and Steven Defour
First player to get an expulsion 
Pierre Braine, vs  Netherlands on 26 May 1927
First substitute to get an expulsion 
Mathieu Bollen, vs  Netherlands on 19 April 1959
First player to be expelled by receiving two yellow cards 
Walter Meeuws, vs  Netherlands on 14 October 1981
First substitute to be expelled by receiving two yellow cards 
None
Youngest player to get an expulsion 
Mousa Dembélé, 19 years, 2 months and 25 days, vs  Azerbaijan on 11 October 2006
Oldest player to get an expulsion 
Filip De Wilde, 35 years, 11 months and 14 days, vs  Turkey on 8 June 2000
Fastest expulsion by a starting player 
27 minutes, Eric Deflandre vs  Scotland on 24 March 2001
Fastest expulsion by a substitute 
3 minutes, Alexandre Czerniatynski, vs  Hungary on 6 June 1984
Fastest expulsion by receiving two yellow cards 
29 minutes, Eric Deflandre, vs  Spain on 9 October 2004
Shortest time between two yellow cards 
0 minutes, Eric Deflandre, vs  Spain on 9 October 2004
Highest amount of expulsions of Belgian players in a single game 
2 expulsions: Eric Deflandre and Bart Goor, vs  Spain on 9 October 2004
Highest total amount of expulsions in a single game 
3 expulsions: Georges Heylens (), Dobrivoje Trivić () and Dragan Džajić (), vs  Yugoslavia on 16 October 1968

Yellow cards

First player to get a yellow card 
Odilon Polleunis, vs Spain on 23 February 1969
First player to get a yellow card as a subsitute 
François Van der Elst, vs  Netherlands on 25 April 1976
Youngest player to get a yellow card 
Anthony Vanden Borre, 17 years, 11 months and 14 days, vs  Spain on 8 October 2005
Oldest player to get a yellow card 
Franky Van der Elst, 36 years, 11 months and 23 days, vs  Romania on 22 April 1998
Highest total of yellow cards received 
17, Vincent Kompany

Miscellaneous

Player born on the earliest date 
Joseph Romdenne, born in 1876, received his only cap on 14 May 1905 vs  Netherlands
First substitute 
Georges Mathot substituted Charles Cambier after 46' vs  Netherlands on 26 April 1908

Oranje team beaten by playful 'Anderlecht'

“
”

 —Dutch 1964 newspaper heading. It pointed to the fact that at a certain moment in Belgium's 1–0 win over the Netherlands all Belgians on the pitch came out for RSC Anderlecht[27]

Club providing the most Belgian internationals in a single match  
RSC Anderlecht, 11; in the match vs  Netherlands on 30 September 1964 in the second half all players were from Anderlecht.
Belgian players who later became manager/head coach 
Hector Goetinck, François Demol, André Vandeweyer, Guy Thys, Walter Meeuws, Paul Van Himst, Wilfried Van Moer, Georges Leekens, René Vandereycken, Franky Vercauteren (caretaker) and Marc Wilmots

Penalties

Most saves in penalty shoot-outs in competitive games 
Jean-Marie Pfaff, 1 vs  Spain (penalty of Eloy Olaya) on 22 June 1986
Most saves in penalty shoot-outs, including friendlies 
Philippe Vande Walle, 2 vs  England (penalties by Rob Lee and Les Ferdinand) on 29 May 1998
Most misses in penalty shoot-outs in competitive games 
None
Most misses in penalty shoot-outs, including friendlies 
Enzo Scifo, 1 vs  England on 29 May 1998

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Note that the loss against Romania on 14 November 2012 was not FIFA-recognised because Romania made 8 substitutions while only 6 were allowed.[9]
  2. ↑ Note that the loss against Romania on 14 November 2012 was not FIFA-recognised because Romania made 8 substitutions while only 6 were allowed.[9]
  3. ↑ Goals scored in penalty shoot-outs do not count on a player's overall scoring tally.
  4. ↑ 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.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Belgium - List of International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  2. ↑ Vandewalle, Ludo (1 Mar 2001). "Rode Duivels zijn nog braaf". De Standaard (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 Jun 2015.
  3. ↑ "Lach breekt door bij duivels...". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 6 Jun 1994. Retrieved 8 Aug 2015.
  4. ↑ "Nederland-België 5-5" (in Dutch). YouTube. 4 Sep 1999. Retrieved 3 Jun 2015.
  5. ↑ "Voetbal - Voetbal in Engeland.". Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 9 Jan 1906. Retrieved 8 Aug 2015.
  6. 1 2 Guldemont, Henry; Deps, Bob (1995). 100 ans de football en Belgique: 1895–1995, Union royale belge des sociétés de football association (in French). Brussels: Vif. p. 66. ISBN 90-5466-151-8.
  7. ↑ "België-Zweden 1–8, Zweden kraakt België.". Het Vaderland (in Dutch). 30 May 1924. Retrieved 13 Jun 2015.
  8. ↑ "Dertien maal een gat in de lucht...". De Tijd (Netherlands) (in Dutch). 26 Nov 1951. Retrieved 5 Jun 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 "Rules & Governance - Law 3: The number of players". The Football Association. Retrieved 25 Oct 2014.
  10. ↑ "FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA.
  11. ↑ "Belgium go top, Chile and Austria soar". FIFA. 5 Nov 2015. Retrieved 5 Nov 2015.
  12. ↑ "World Football Elo Ratings: Belgium". World Football Elo Ratings web site and Advanced Satellite Consulting. Retrieved 18 Aug 2013.
  13. ↑ Henshaw 1979, p. 76.
  14. ↑ "Belgium v France − a 109-year-old rivalry". UEFA. 13 Aug 2013.
  15. 1 2 Stokkermans, Karel (6 Mar 2014). "The "Derby der Lage Landen"". RSSSF. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  16. ↑ Cruz, Santiago (12 Jun 2009). "Kirin Cup". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 Nov 2014.
  17. ↑ "Belgium honoured with the FIFA Fair Play Award". FIFA News. 29 Jun 2002.
  18. ↑ "Rode Duivels zijn grote slokop op Sportgala" (in Dutch). Sporza. 14 Dec 2014. Retrieved 14 Dec 2014.
  19. ↑ "Belgium and Turkey claim awards, Hungary return". 3 Dec 2015. Retrieved 30 Dec 2015.
  20. ↑ "Association Awards". RBFA. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  21. 1 2 "Belgium national football team match results". eu-football.info. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  22. ↑ "Alle Rode Duivels" (in Dutch). Royal Belgian Football Association. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  23. ↑ "België-Nederland". Leeuwarder Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 5 Apr 1937. Retrieved 8 Aug 2015.
  24. ↑ "Nederland verloor met eere". Limburger Sport-Koerier (in Dutch). 5 Apr 1937. Retrieved 6 Jun 2015.
  25. ↑ "Invaller Michy Batshuayi (bijna) snelste Rode Duivel ooit die scoort bij interlanddebuut" (in Dutch). nr10.be. Retrieved 6 Jun 2015.
  26. ↑ Reunes, Marc (29 Oct 2004). "Duivels Goor en Deflandre rood van woede". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 Jun 2015.
  27. ↑ "Oranjeteam verslagen door dartel 'Anderlecht'". Het Vrije Volk (in Dutch). 1 Oct 1964. Retrieved 6 Jun 2015.

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