Everything about Belgium National Football Team totally explained
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).
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.
The 1980s and early 1990s are generally considered the strongest period 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 hard 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 didn't like the prospect of playing the
Red Devils--not even eventual champions
Brazil, who were very lucky to beat Belgium in the knockout phase of the
2002 World Cup (. Since then, however, the team has steadily slipped down the rankings, and hasn't been able to extend its past reputation.
After failing to qualify for the
2006 World Cup for the first time in 24 years, the contract of national coach
Aimé Anthuenis wasn't renewed beyond 2005, and it was decided on
December 22,
2005 that
René Vandereycken would replace Anthuenis on
January 1,
2006. On
August 16 of that year, they started their new campaign against
Kazakhstan and although the team had made the confidence of the home public grow through some promising performances from new talented young players against teams as
Slovakia and
Turkey, they played awfully and didn't manage to get past the team from Kazakhstan. The situation got worse after also losing the home game against Poland on November 15 of that year. Qualification already seemed far away.
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, or
Sweden. The country qualified for six successive World Cups - (
1982-
2002), a total only surpassed by
Italy (12),
Argentina (9) and
Spain (8). 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 doesn't automatically qualify.)
Playing inspired against other teams in the World Cup, they've 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 with 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.
Despite being knocked out in the 2nd round, the team's general performance in the
1990 was considered even better than 4 years before. Belgium dominated England, but eventually lost in the last minute of extra time after a goal by
David Platt.
Enzo Scifo was elected as best young player of the tournament, and second best player 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 wasn't 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 didn't 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'd to play against eventual champions
Brazil. Similar to 1994, the match was strongly influenced by a disputed referee decision. Even to the surprise of the Brazilians themselves, referee
Peter Prendergast cancelled the 1-0 scored by Marc Wilmots. After this, the match went in favour of Brazil. Brazilian bondscoach
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 equaled the record of
Enzo Scifo and
Franky Van Der Elst to appear in 4 World Cups, but with the differene that he didn't played in his first World Cup. Wilmots also scored his 5th World Cup goal against
Russia, which made him the Belgian topscorer in World Cups.
European Championship Record
Belgium's performance in the
European Championships doesn't 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 and being one of the major disappointments of the
2000 edition with a first-round exit.
1960 - Did not qualify
1964 - Did not qualify
1968 - Did not qualify
1972 - Third place
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
2004 - Did not qualify
2008 - Did not qualify
Olympics Record
Belgium won the Olympic Gold Medal in 1920, and the Bronze Medal in 1900. On June 16, 2007, Belgium qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics Games through a 2-2 draw with their neighbours, the Netherlands. For more info, see 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
Selections tournaments
1920 Summer Olympics Antwerp (Belgium) FIRST PLACE -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
1930 Football World Cup Uruguay
-Fernand Adams -Arnold Badjou -Pierre Braine(c) -Alexis Chantraine -Jean De Bie -Jean De Clercq -Henri De Deken -Gérard Delbeke -Jean Diddens -August Hellemans -Nicolas Hoydonckx -Jacques Moeschal -Theodore Nouwens -André Saeys -Louis Versyp -Bernard Voorhoof. coach:Hector Goetinck
1934 Football World Cup Italy
-Arnold Badjou -Désiré Bourgeois -Jean Brichaut -Jean Capelle -Jean Claessens -François Devries -Laurent Grimmonprez -August Hellemans -Albert Heremans -Constant Joacim -Robert Lamoot -René Ledent -Jeles Pappaert -Frans Peeraer -Georges Putmans -Charles Simons -Philibert Smellinckx -André Vandeweyer -Joseph Van Ingelgem -Louis Versyp(c) -Bernard Voorhoof -Félix Welkenhuysen. coach: Hector Goetinck
1938 Football World Cup France
-Arnold Badjou -Robert Braet -Raymond Braine -Fernand Buyle -Jean Capelle -Arthur Ceuleers -Pierre Dalem -Alfons De Winter -Jean Fievez -Frans Gommers -Paul Henry -Henri Isemborghs -Joseph Nelis -Robert Paverick -.Jean Petit -Corneel Seys -Philibert Smellinckx -Emile Stijnen -John Van Alphen -Charles Vanden Wouwer -André Vandeweyer -Bernard Voorhoof(c). coach: Jack Butler
1954 Football World Cup Switzerland
1.Léopold Gernaey 2.Marcel Dries 3.Alfons Van Brandt 4.Constant Huysmans 5.Louis Carré 6.Victor Mees 7.Jozef Vliers 8.Denis Houf 9.Henri 'Rik' Coppens 10.Léopold Anoul 11.Joseph Mermans(c) 12.Charles Geerts 13.Henri Dirickx 14.Robert Van Kerckhoven 15.Hippolyte Van Den Bosch 16.Pieter Van Den Bosch 17.Raymond Ausloos 18.Jef Van Der Linden 19.Jo Backaert 20.Robert Maertens 21.Jean Van Steen 22.Luc Van Hoywegen. coach: Dougall Livingstone
1970 Football World Cup Mexico
1.Christian Piot 2.Georges Heylens 3.Jean Thissen 4.Nico Dewalque 5.Léon Jeck 6.Jean Dockx 7.Léon Semmeling 8.Wilfried Van Moer 9.Johan Devrindt 10.Paul Van Himst(c) 11.Wilfried Puis 12.Jean Trappeniers 13.Jacques Beurlet 14.Maurice Martens 15.Erwin Vandendaele 16.Odilon Polleunis 17.Jan Verheyen 18.Raoul Lambert 19.Pierre Carteus 20.Alfons Peeters 21.Frans Janssens 22.Jacques Duquesne. coach: Raymond Goethals
1972 European Football Championship Belgium THIRD PLACE
-Alfons Bastijns -Andre Denul -Johan Devrindt -Jean Dockx -Léon Dolmans -Karl Engelen -Georges Heylens -Jos Heyligen -Frans Janssens -Raoul Lambert -Maurice Martens -Christian Piot -Odilon Polleunis -Luc Sanders -Léon Semmeling -Jacques Teugels -John Thio -Jean Thissen -Gilbert Van Binst -Erwin Vandendaele -Paul Van Himst(c) -Jan Verheyen coach: Raymond Goethals
1980 European Football Championship Italy SECOND PLACE
1.Theo Custers 2.Eric Gerets 3.Luc Millecamps 4.Walter Meeuws 5.Michel Renquin 6.Julien Cools(c) 7.René Vandereycken 8.Wilfried Van Moer 9.François Van Der Elst 10.Erwin Vandenbergh 11.Jan Ceulemans 12.Jean-Marie Pfaff 13.Maurice Martens 14.Gerard Plessers 15.René Verheyen 16.Marc Millecamps 17.Raymond Mommens 18.Guy Dardenne 19.Willy Wellens 20.Michel Preud'homme 21.Jos Heyligen 22.Ronny Martens. coach: Guy Thys
1982 Football World Cup Spain
1.Jean-Marie Pfaff 2.Eric Gerets(c) 3.Luc Millecamps 4.Walters Meeuws 5.Michel Renquin 6.Franky Vercauteren 7.René Vandereycken 8.Wilfried Van Moer 9.Erwin Vandenbergh 10.Ludo Coeck 11.Jan Ceulemans 12.Theo Custers 13.François Van Der Elst 14.Marc Baecke 15.Maurits De Schrijver 16.Gerard Plessers 17.René Verheyen 18.Raymond Mommens 19.Marc Millecamps 20.Guy Vandersmissen 21.Alexandre Czerniatynski 22.Jacky Munaron. coach: Guy Thys
1984 European Football Championship France
1.Jean-Marie Pfaff 2.Georges Grün 3.Paul Lambrichts 4.Leo Clijsters 5.Michel De Wolf 6.Franky Vercauteren 7.René Vandereycken 8.Nico Claesen 9.Erwin Vandenbergh 10.Ludo Coeck 11.Jan Ceulemans(c) 12.Jacky Munaron 13.Marc Baecke 14.Walter De Greef 15.René Verheyen 16.Enzo Scifo 17.Eddy Voordeckers 18.Alexandre Czerniatynski 19.Raymond Mommens 20.Wim De Coninck. coach: Guy Thys
1986 Football World Cup Mexico FOURTH PLACE
1.Jean-Marie Pfaff 2.Eric Gerets 3.Franky Van Der Elst 4.Michel De Wolf 5.Michel Renquin 6.Franky Vercauteren 7.René Vandereycken 8.Enzo Scifo 9.Erwin Vandenbergh 10.Philippe Desmet 11.Jan Ceulemans(c) 12.Jacky Munaron 13.Georges Grün 14.Lei Clijsters 15.Leo Van Der Elst 16.Nico Claesen 17.Raymond Mommens 18.Daniel Veyt 19.Hugo Broos 20.Gilbert Bodart 21.Stéphane Demol 22.Patrick Vervoort. coach:Guy Thys
1990 Football World Cup Italy
1.Michel Preud'homme 2.Eric Gerets 3.Philippe Albert 4.Lei Clijsters 5.Bruno Versavel 6.Marc Emmers 7.Stéphane Demol 8.Franky Van Der Elst 9.Marc Degryse 10.Enzo Scifo 11.Jan Ceulemans(c) 12.Gilbert Bodart 13.Georges Grün 14.Nico Claesen 15.Jean-François De Sart 16.Michel De Wolf 17.Pascal Plovie 18.Lorenzo Staelens 19.Marc Van Der Linden 20.Filip De Wilde 21.Marc Wilmots 22.Patrick Vervoort. coach:Guy Thys
1994 Football World Cup USA
1.Michel Preud'homme 2.Dirk Medved 3.Vital Borkelmans 4.Philippe Albert 5.Rudi Smidts 6.Lorenzo Staelens 7.Franky Van Der Elst 8.Luc Nilis 9.Marc Degryse 10.Enzo Scifo 11.Alexandre Czerniatynski 12.Filip De Wilde 13.Georges Grün(c) 14.Michel De Wolf 15.Marc Emmers 16.Danny Boffin 17.Josip Weber 18.Marc Wilmots 19.Eric Van Meir 20.Dany Verlinden 21.Stéphane Van Der Heyden 22.Pascal Renier. coach:Paul Van Himst
1998 Football World Cup France
1.Filip De Wilde 2.Bertrand Crasson 3.Lorenzo Staelens 4.Gordan Vidović 5.Vital Borkelmans 6.Franky Van Der Elst(c) 7.Marc Wilmots 8.Luis Oliveira 9.Mbo Mpenza 10.Luc Nilis 11.Nico Van Kerckhoven 12.Philippe Vande Walle 13.Dany Verlinden 14.Enzo Scifo 15.Philippe Clement 16.Glen De Boeck 17.Mike Verstraeten 18.Gert Verheyen 19.Eric Van Meir 20.Emile Mpenza 21.Danny Boffin 22.Eric Deflandre. coach:Georges Leekens
2000 European Football Championship Belgium/Netherlands
1.Filip De Wilde 2.Eric Deflandre 3.Joos Valgaeren 4.Lorenzo Staelens(c) 5.Philippe Clement 6.Yves Vanderhaeghe 7.Marc Wilmots 8.Bart Goor 9.Emile Mpenza 10.Branko Strupar 11.Gert Verheyen 12.Geert De Vlieger 13.Frédéric Herpoel 14.Johan Walem 15.Jacky Peeters 16.Luc Nilis 17.Philippe Léonard 18.Nico Van Kerckhoven 19.Eric Van Meir 20.Gilles De Bilde 21.Mbo Mpenza 22.Marc Hendrikx. coach:Robert Waseige
2002 Football World Cup Korea/Japan
1.Geert De Vlieger 2.Eric Deflandre 3.Glen De Boeck 4.Eric Van Meir 5.Nico Van Kerckhoven 6.Timmy Simons 7.Marc Wilmots(c) 8.Bart Goor 9.Wesley Sonck 10.Johan Walem 11.Gert Verheyen 12.Peter Van Der Heyden 13.Franky Vandendriessche 14.Sven Vermant 15.Jacky Peeters 16.Daniel Van Buyten 17.Gaëtan Englebert 18.Yves Vanderhaeghe 19.Bernd Thijs 20.Branko Strupar 21.Danny Boffin 22.Mbo Mpenza 23.Frédéric Herpoel. coach:Robert Waseige
2008 Summer Olympics Beijing (China)
Current squad
The following players have all recently been called up to the Belgian squad.
Caps as of 27 March 2008.
Distinguished players
As of November 24, 2007 the 100 most capped players for Belgium are:
Other notable players who have represented Belgium include (note, this isn't a comprehensive list):
