The
Belgium national football team is the national
football team of
Belgium and is controlled by the
Belgian Football Association.
History
Belgium played its first official game on May 1, 1904 in a 3–3 draw against France. Prior to this match, a Belgian selection played several matches, but the squad contained some English players, so these are not added to the caps. For example, Belgium beat Netherlands by 8–0 on April 28, 1901 with the help of some Englishmen. It was then decided that Belgium would play twice a year against Netherlands beginning from 1905, generally once in Antwerp and once in Rotterdam (later Amsterdam). At that time, the national squad was chosen by a committee of representatives of the 6 or 7 main clubs.
The team was nicknamed The Red Devils by journalist Pierre Walckiers after its 3:2 victory over Netherlands (Rotterdam, 1906). The nickname stems from the fact that from the beginning and up until recently, the team's primary colours were all red.
Over the next six decades, Belgium established itself as a strong second-tier team, rarely in the running for winning a major tournament but never easy to handle at home or abroad. A key strength of the team was its systematic use of the offside trap, a defensive tactic developed in the 1960s at Anderlecht under French coach Pierre Sinibaldi.
Their most successful period started when they finished second in the UEFA Euro 1980. The 1980s and early 1990s are generally considered the golden age of the national team. Under the lead of Guy Thys, who coached more than 100 official games, Belgium established a reputation of being a physical, well-organized team that was difficult to play against. The team's rigorous organization was reinforced by several world-class players such as goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff, right-back Eric Gerets, midfielder Jan Ceulemans, and playmaker Enzo Scifo. Performances were sometimes poor against lower-ranked teams, but nearly always inspired against top teams. Until as recently as 2002, world-class national teams did not like the prospect of playing the Red Devils--not even eventual champions Brazil. The Belgians nearly beat favorites Brazil in the 2002 FIFA World Cup only for several debatable referee decisions and controversially disallowed goals go against them; ironically, the Brazilians went on to win the World Cup. Since then, however, the team has steadily slipped down the rankings, and has not been able to extend its past reputation.
After failing to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1978, the contract of national coach Aimé Anthuenis was not renewed beyond 2005, and it was decided on December 22, 2005 that René Vandereycken would replace Anthuenis on January 1, 2006. But the performances of the team did not improve and the Red Devils slipped into an all-time low 71st position in the FIFA World Rankings in June, 2007. After failing to qualify for Euro 2008 and a generally poor performance in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers which ended with Belgium getting knocked out, coach René Vandereycken was sacked on the 7 April 2009. After a shocking 2–1 loss against Armenia on 9 September 2009, Vercauteren resigned earlier than planned and made way for new coach Dick Advocaat. However, on 15 April 2010, after only six months at the helm, Advocaat resigned as manager of the Belgian national team amid speculation that he was to become coach of the Russian national team. The rumors proved true, as Advocaat was named the new manager of the Russian national team on May 17th 2010. Georges Leekens was announced as the next manager of the Belgian national team on 11 May 2010, signing a contract until 2012. This is Leekens' second stint as national manager, having previously managed the Red Devils from 1997 to 1999.
World Cup record
Belgium's World Cup appearance record reflects the unusual depth of footballing talent for a country of this size, in the manner of the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Sweden. The country qualified for six successive World Cups from 1982 through 2002. Every other nation with an equal or longer string of appearances has had the streak "interrupted" by automatic qualification as the host or the defending champion. (The 2006 tournament was the first for which the defending champion did not automatically qualify.)
The Belgian team reached the knockout phase five out of six times from 1982 to 2002, including a streak of four tournaments. One of their most famous victories was a 1–0 win over defending champions Argentina, in the first game of the 1982 World Cup held at Camp Nou with a great goal by Erwin Vandenbergh.
Four years later they achieved their best-ever World Cup run in 1986 when they placed fourth under command of players like Jan Ceulemans, Eric Gerets and Jean-Marie Pfaff. Belgium surprisingly won against favourites Soviet-Union with stars such as Igor Belanov and Rinat Dasayev (3–4) after extra time. Belgium also beat Spain on penalties, but they lost to eventual champions Argentina in the semifinal (0–2). In the third-place match Belgium lost to France (2–4) after extra time. Captain and midfielder Jan Ceulemans was the first Belgian player to be selected in the All-Star Team of a World Cup. Enzo Scifo was elected as best young player of the tournament.
Despite being knocked out in the second round, the team's general performance in the 1990 was considered better still than that of 1986. Belgium dominated England, but eventually lost in the last minute of extra time after a goal by David Platt. Enzo Scifo was elected as second best player of the 1990 World Cup after Lothar Matthäus.
In the 1994 World Cup Belgium lost to title defenders Germany in round 2. This match became most memorable because of a disputed decision by referee Kurt Röthlisberger. The team was not awarded a penalty when Josip Weber was tripped inside the penalty area. Michel Preud'homme was elected as best goalkeeper of the tournament and he was selected in the All-Star Team.
In 1998 Belgium was one of only two teams, together with world champion France not to lose a single game. Three draws in the first round – against Netherlands, Mexico and South Korea – proved not enough to reach the knock-out stage. In 1998 Enzo Scifo and Franky Van Der Elst appeared in their fourth World Cups, setting a Belgian record.
The FIFA World Cup 2002 did not start well for Belgium, but the team improved during the tournament. Captain Marc Wilmots was notable for scoring in every match of the first round. In the second round they had to play against eventual champions Brazil. Similar to 1994, the outcome of the match was strongly influenced by a disputed referee decision. To the surprise of the Brazilians themselves, referee Peter Prendergast cancelled a valid goal by Marc Wilmots that would have given Belgium a 1–0 lead. After this, the match went in favour of Brazil. Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari would declare after the tournament that the match against the Red Devils had been the hardest for Brazil to win. The team did win the tournament's fair-play award. Marc Wilmots equalled the record of Enzo Scifo and Franky Van Der Elst by appearing in 4 World Cup squads, although he didn't play in his first World Cup in 1990. Wilmots also scored his 5th World Cup goal against Russia, which made him Belgium's top scorer in World Cup Finals matches.
| Year | Round | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
 1930 | Round 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
 1934 | Round 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
 1938 | Round 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
 1950 | Withdrew |
 1954 | Round 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
 1958 | Did not qualify |
 1962 |
 1966 |
 1970 | Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
 1974 | Did not qualify |
 1978 |
 1982 | Round 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 1986 | Fourth place | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 15 |
 1990 | Round 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
 1994 | Round 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 1998 | Round 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
  2002 | Round 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| 2006 | Did not qualify |
 2010 |
| Total | 11/19 | 36 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 46 | 63 |
European Championship record
Belgium's performance in the European Championship does not match its World Cup record. The best result is no doubt the unexpected second place at the 1980 edition in Italy after a narrow defeat (1–2) to West Germany in the final. Belgium hosted or co-hosted the event twice, finishing third in 1972 (when they were chosen amongst the four semi-finalists to actually host the event) and being one of the major disappointments of the 2000 edition with a first-round exit. Belgium first won against Sweden 2–1 via goals from Bart Goor in the 43rd minute and Emile Mpenza in the 46th minute against Sweden's one by Johan Mjallby in the 53rd minute after a terrible error of goalkeeper Filip De Wilde. But then, Belgium lost 2–0 against Italy (goals from Francesco Totti in the 5th minute and Stefano Fiore in the 66th minute) and 2–0 against Turkey (two goals from Hakan Şükür in the 45th after another error of goalkeeper Filip De Wilde, and 70th minute). In the 83rd minute of that last group match, Filip De Wilde even ended his Euro 2000, being sent off for attacking Arif Erdem outside the penalty area.
- 1960 – Did not enter
- 1964 – Did not qualify
- 1968 – Did not qualify
- 1972 – Third place (became host after qualifying)
- 1976 – Did not qualify
- 1980 – Runners-up
- 1984 – Round 1
- 1988 – Did not qualify
- 1992 – Did not qualify
- 1996 – Did not qualify
- 2000 – Round 1 (entered as host)
- 2004 – Did not qualify
- 2008 – Did not qualify
- 2012 –
Olympic record
Belgium won the Olympic Gold Medal in 1920
Gold Medal winners 1920: -Félix Balyu -Désiré Bastin -Mathieu Bragard -Jean De Bie -Robert Coppée -André Fierens -Emile Hanse -Georges Hebdin-Henri Larnoe -Joseph Musch(c) -Armand Swartenbroeks -Fernand Nisot -Louis Van Hege -Oscar Verbeek. coach: Raoul Daufresne
- 1920: Gold medal
- 1924: Second Round (1/16 finals)
- 1928: Quarter-finals
- 2008: Fourth Place
Current squad
Caps and goals are correct as of 15 November 2009.
The following players are the 22-man squad who were called up for the friendly match against Bulgaria on 19 May 2010.
Recent call-ups
Youngest players
The 10 youngest players in history
The youngest players who made their debut for the national football team of Belgium.
| Rank | Player (Team) | Age |
| 1 | Fernand Nisot (Léopold Club) | 16 years, 19 days |
| 2 | Anthony Vanden Borre (Anderlecht) | 16 years, 187 days |
| 3 | Romelu Lukaku (Anderlecht) | 16 years, 296 days |
| 4 | Paul Van Himst (Anderlecht) | 17 years, 17 days |
| 5 | Jean Capelle (Standard Liège) | 17 years, 153 days |
| 6 | Joseph Musch (Saint-Gilloise) | 17 years, 198 days |
| 7 | Vincent Kompany (Anderlecht) | 17 years, 314 days |
| 8 | Eden Hazard (Lille) | 17 years, 316 days |
| 9 | Raymond Braine (Beerschot) | 17 years, 321 days |
| 10 | Bernard Voorhoof (Lierse) | 17 years, 338 days |
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
Euro 2012 qualifications
Caps
As of 10 December 2009 the 68 most capped players for Belgium are:
the * denotes a player still playing or available for selection.
Top Belgium goalscorers
As of December 10, 2009:
the * denotes a player still playing or available for selection.
Coaches
Before 1910, a committee of the Belgian federation selected the players.
- 1910–1913: William Maxwell
- 1914: Charles Bunyan, Sr.
- 1920–1928: William Maxwell
- 1928–1930: Victor Löwenfelt
- 1930–1934: Hector Goetinck
- 1935: Jules Turnauer
- 1935–1940: Jack Butler
- 1944–1946: François Demol
- 1947–1953: Bill Gormlie
- 1953–1954: Dougall Livingstone
- 1955–1957: André Vandeweyer
- 1957 (caretaker): Louis Nicolay
- 1957–1958: Geza Toldi
- 1958–1968: Constant Vanden Stock
- June 19, 1968 – April 26, 1976: Raymond Goethals
- May 22, 1976 – June 9, 1989: Guy Thys
- July 23, 1989 – February 21, 1990: Walter Meeuws
- May 26, 1990 – May 1, 1991: Guy Thys
- September 1, 1991 – March 25, 1996: Paul Van Himst
- October 8, 1996 – December 27, 1996: Wilfried Van Moer
- February 11, 1997 – August 18, 1999: Georges Leekens
- August 20, 1999 – June 30, 2002: Robert Waseige
- August 21, 2002 – December 31, 2005: Aimé Anthuenis
- January 1, 2006 – April 7, 2009: René Vandereycken
- May 5, 2009 – September 9, 2009: Franky Vercauteren
- October 1, 2009 – April 15, 2010: Dick Advocaat,
- May 4, 2010 – ?: Georges Leekens
Captains
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