The best footballers in Belgian history

Last update 28 April, 2026 by football hung

Belgium has lived through two great golden ages and, in between, has produced enough talent to open an eternal debate. That's why, faithful to our style, let's review who they are the best footballers in the history of Belgium, a list where modern geniuses coexist, myths from another era, golerators, goalkeepers and defenders who marked an era.

Talk about the best belgian players in history It's not just about famous names.. It is talking about footballers who elevated a team that went from occasional admiration to rubbing shoulders with the great powers of world football.. From Paul Van Himst to Kevin De Bruyne, passing through Enzo Scifo, Jan Ceulemans, Eden Hazard o Thibaut Courtois, Belgium has had players of brutal quality.

This classification is not intended to be an absolute truth, but it is a reasoned guide to understand who the best players in Belgian history and why its impact goes far beyond a specific statistic.

The best footballers in Belgian history

To compile this list we have taken into account club performance, the weight with the Belgian team, the influence in his time, the longevity and the mark they left on European football. With those criteria, These are the big names of Belgian football.

1. Kevin De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne is, for many, the most complete Belgian footballer who has ever existed. Your reading of the game, his hit, His ability to accelerate attacks with a pass and his elite consistency put him at the top of this list. At Manchester City he became the brain of one of the most dominant teams in modern football and a fundamental piece in understanding Pep Guardiola's success in England..

Con Bélgica fue el gran director de la generación que alcanzó las semifinales del World 2018 and finished third, the country's best historical result in a World Cup. De Bruyne is not a footballer of isolated highlights: He is a player who changes the structure of a game. That's why, when talking about the best Belgian players in history, your name always appears on the first line.

2. Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard was pure fantasy. Before injuries extinguished his best version too soon, He was one of the most unbalanced attackers on the planet. At Lille he was already aiming for world star, but it was at Chelsea where he became a star of the era: regattas, driving, changes of pace and that feeling that I could always invent something different.

With the Belgian team he served as captain and as the visible face of an extraordinary generation. His World Cup 2018 It was magnificent and his performance against Brazil remained one of the most remembered in the recent history of the tournament. Hazard perhaps did not have the longevity of others, but at his peak he was an absolutely differential footballer.

3. Paul Van Himst

Paul Van Himst is a legend in capital letters. For many Belgian fans he remains the country's great historical icon.. He was chosen several times as the Belgian player of the year and shone during the years 60 y 70 with Anderlecht, club with which he accumulated titles and left an enormous mark. Elegant forward, technical goal and, Van Himst was the great reference for a Belgium that was beginning to gain respect in Europe.

His name is essential in any debate about the best Belgian footballers of all time. He was a vintage footballer, one of those players who explain the football identity of a country long before the great modern international campaigns arrived.

4. Enzo Scifo

Enzo Scifo was class, pause and talent. A midfielder of those who almost no longer exist, able to organize, filter passes and appear in decisive areas with an insulting naturalness. Of Italian origin but absolute symbol of Belgian football, Scifo played in four World Cups and was one of the great faces of Belgium during the years 80 y 90.

He played for clubs like Anderlecht, Inter, Monaco, Turin or Auxerre, leaving flashes of enormous quality. If the question is who are the best players in the history of Belgium, Scifo must be among the first because he represented Belgian creative talent before the world was talking about De Bruyne or Hazard.

5. Thibaut Courtois

Thibaut Courtois is the best Belgian goalkeeper in history and one of the great goalkeepers of the 21st century. His career speaks for itself.: Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Champions League, national leagues and decisive performances on giant nights. Su final of Champions of 2022 against Liverpool it was one of those displays that turn a goalkeeper into a legend.

With Belgium it was also key, especially in the World Cup 2018, where he won the Golden Glove of the tournament. Your height, highlights, Confidence in one-on-one and competitive personality make him a fixture in any serious ranking of the best footballers in the history of Belgium..

6. Jan Ceulemans

Jan Ceulemans was the soul of Belgium in the years 80. attacking midfielder, arrival, strong and with leadership, He was captain of a team that reached the semifinals of the World Cup in Mexico 1986. That Belgium earned a place in the collective memory and Ceulemans was its great flag.

Besides, He was an institution at Club Brugge, where he became a legend. He did not have the media shine of some current stars, but yes a mix of character, quality and consistency that allows him to fully enter among the best Belgian players in history.

7. Romelu Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku is the all-time top scorer of the Belgian team and that, alone, already puts it in the conversation. He has been an impact forward at Anderlecht, Everton, Manchester United, Inter, Chelsea, Rome and other great stages of European football. Power, ability to attack spaces and enormous scoring production have marked his career.

It is true that his figure generates debates, especially for some difficult nights with Belgium, but his numbers are so compelling that it would be unfair to leave him out.. Lukaku is one of the most important forwards that the country has produced and one of the names that explain the Belgian golden era.

8. Vincent Kompany

Vincent Kompany was much more than a central defender. He was a leader, captain, symbol and one of the most respected players of his generation. At Manchester City he became a legend, won historic titles and helped change the competitive dimension of the club. His great goal against Leicester in 2019 It remained one of the most iconic moments of the modern Premier League.

In Belgium he was one of the pillars of the reconstruction that took the Red Devils to the first international level.. By hierarchy, trajectory and emotional weight, Kompany deserves a very high place among the best Belgian footballers of all time.

9. Eric Gerets

Eric Gerets was one of the best European right backs of his time. Strong, competitive, intense and with a huge route, he shone with Standard Liege and, above all, with PSV Eindhoven, with which he won the European Cup 1988. He was also captain of Belgium and a defensive reference for years.

His legacy may not have as much media presence among younger fans., but within the history of Belgian football he is a capital figure. Gerets represents a time in which Belgium was already competing with personality and skill against top-level teams.

10. Jean-Marie Pfaff

Antes de Courtois, Belgium had already had a gigantic goalkeeper: Jean-Marie Pfaff. He was one of the best goalkeepers in the world in the years 80, He shone at Bayern Munich and was a key part of the Belgian team that reached the World Cup semi-finals. 1986.

Pfaff had personality, reflexes and charisma. His figure helped put Belgium on the international football map and for years he was the mirror in which the Belgian goalkeepers who came after looked at themselves..

11. Marc Wilmots

Marc Wilmots was competitive character in its purest form. Midfielder with arrival, strong and with goal, He represented Belgium in several major events and became one of the most recognizable names in the national team before the boom of De Bruyne's generation., Hazard and company.

He also had a solid career at clubs such as Standard de Liege., Schalke 04 and Girondins of Bordeaux. He may not have been the most technical player on this list, but one of the most influential in the recent history of Belgian football.

12. Jan Vertonghen

Jan Vertonghen has been one of Belgium's most reliable defenders for over a decade. Trained at Ajax and consolidated at Tottenham, combined tactical intelligence, ball delivery and enormous regularity. With the national team he was an essential part of the best Belgian generation and accumulated a historic number of international caps..

His presence perhaps was not as spectacular as that of Hazard or De Bruyne, but teams are also built from continuity and craftsmanship. Vertonghen was precisely that: an elite defender sustained over time.

Other great Belgian footballers who deserve mention

Every list leaves names out. Belgium has also had footballers like Michel Preud'homme, Franky Van der Elst, Axel Witsel, Toby Alderweireld, Dries Mertens, Yannick Carrasco o Youri Tielemans. Some could fit perfectly into a top 10 according to the chosen criteria, especially if longevity is valued, international performance or importance in clubs.

The interesting thing is that Belgian football has gone from depending on isolated figures to creating entire generations. This evolution explains why today it is much more difficult to rank the best footballers in Belgian history than it was thirty years ago., como también ocurre en otros rankings de países con tradición futbolera como the best players in the history of Denmark o los mejores futbolistas venezolanos de la historia.

Who is the best Belgian player of all time?

If we talk about talent, impact on the elite and consistency at the highest level, Kevin De Bruyne He has very solid arguments to be considered the best Belgian player of all time. If we talk about peak inspiration and offensive talent, Eden Hazard can compete with anyone. If you value the pure history of Belgian football, Paul Van Himst y Enzo Scifo They are still sacred names.

That's why, more than a closed answer, The question helps to understand the richness of a team that has had legendary goalkeepers, unique midfielders, goalscoring forwards and defenders of enormous hierarchy.

Frequently asked questions about the best Belgian players

Who is the best Belgian footballer in history?

Kevin De Bruyne is the strongest candidate due to his performance in the elite, his importance at Manchester City and his weight with Belgium. Even so, Eden Hazard, Paul Van Himst and Enzo Scifo also always appear in the debate.

Who is Belgium's all-time top scorer??

Romelu Lukaku is the Belgian national team's all-time top scorer, a figure that reinforces his place among the best Belgian players in history.

What was the best generation of Belgium?

De Bruyne's generation, Hazard, Courtois, Lukaku, Kompany, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Witsel and Mertens is considered the best for depth of talent and for third place in the World Cup 2018.