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)	Rode Duivels Diables Rouges Rote Teufeln (Red Devils)
Association	Belgian Football Association
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Marc Wilmots
Captain	Vincent Kompany
Most caps	Jan Ceulemans (96)
Top scorer	Bernard Voorhoof (30) Paul van Himst (30)
Home stadium	King Baudouin Stadium
FIFA code	BEL
FIFA ranking	15
Highest FIFA ranking	15 (May 2013)
Lowest FIFA ranking	71 (June 2007)
Elo ranking	20
Highest Elo ranking	2 (September 1920)
Lowest Elo ranking	74 (September 2009)
First colours Second colours
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 Amateurs 11–2 Belgium (London, England; 17 April 1909)
World Cup
Appearances	11 (First in 1930)
Best result	Fourth place, 1986
European Championship
Appearances	4 (First in 1972)
Best result	Runners-Up, 1980
Honours Men’s Football Gold 1920 Antwerp Team

The Belgium national football team (Dutch: Het Belgische voetbalelftal, Dutch pronunciation: [əd ˈbɛɫ.ʝi.sə ˈvud.bɑɫ.ˌɛɫ(ə)f.tɑɫ]); (French: L'équipe de Belgique de football); (German: Die Belgische Fußballnationalmannschaft); represents Belgium in association football and is controlled by the Royal Belgian Football Association, the governing body for football in Belgium. Belgium's home stadium is King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. Marc Wilmots is their national manager. He started as an assistant, but took over when Georges Leekens took the managerial position in FC Bruges. They are nicknamed the Red Devils (Dutch: Rode Duivels, Dutch pronunciation: [ˈroː.də ˈdœy̯.vəɫs]); (French: Diables Rouges); (German: Rote Teufeln).

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, playmaker Enzo Scifo and striker Luc Nilis.

Belgian national football team during Euro 2012 qualifiers

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. The performances of the team did not improve and Belgium slipped to 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 2–1 loss against Armenia on 9 September 2009, Vercauteren resigned 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. Georges Leekens was announced as the next manager of the Belgian national team on 11 May 2010, signing a contract until 2012. Under Leekens, who was having his second stint as national manager, having previously managed the Red Devils from 1997 to 1999, the Red Devils failed to qualify for the Euro 2012. Leekens surprised in May 2012 when he left and signed for Club Brugge, stating his work was 90% completed. Marc Wilmots was asked to replaced Leekens and under his reign, the team performed better, rising to an all-time high of 15th on the FIFA World Rankings in May 2013.

Competitive record

World Cup

Belgium qualified for six successive World Cups from 1982 through 2002. 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 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.

In the 1990 World Cup, Belgium did well against 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. 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 knockout stage. In 1998 Enzo Scifo and Franky Van Der Elst appeared in their fourth World Cups, setting a Belgian record.

The 2002 FIFA World Cup 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. To the surprise of the Brazilians themselves, referee Peter Prendergast disallowed goal by Marc Wilmots that would have given Belgium a 1–0 lead. Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari declared 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.

FIFA World Cup Record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1930	Round 1	11th	2	0	0	2	0	4
1934	Round 1	15th	1	0	0	1	2	5
1938	Round 1	13th	1	0	0	1	1	3
1950	Withdrew
1954	Group Stage	12th	2	0	1	1	5	8
1958	Did Not Qualify
1962
1966
1970	Group Stage	10th	3	1	0	2	4	5
1974	Did Not Qualify
1978
1982	2nd Round	10th	5	2	1	2	3	5
1986	Fourth Place	4th	7	2	2	3	12	15
1990	Round Of 16	11th	4	2	0	2	6	4
1994	Round Of 16	11th	4	2	0	2	4	4
1998	Group Stage	19th	3	0	3	0	3	3
2002	Round Of 16	14th	4	1	2	1	6	7
2006	Did Not Qualify
2010
2014	TBD
2018
2022
Total	11/19	Fourth Place	36	10	9	17	46	63

European Championship

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 loss (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 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.

UEFA European Championship record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1960	Did Not Enter
1964	Did Not Qualify
1968
1972	Third Place	3rd	2	1	0	1	3	3
1976	Did Not Qualify
1980	Runners-Up	2nd	4	1	2	1	4	4
1984	Group Stage	6th	3	1	0	2	4	8
1988	Did Not Qualify
1992
1996
2000	Group Stage	12th	3	1	0	2	2	5
2004	Did Not Qualify
2008
2012
2016	TBD
Total		4/13	12	4	2	6	13	20

Olympic Games

Belgium won the Olympic Gold Medal in 1920

• 1900: 3 ! Bronze medal
• 1920: 1 ! Gold medal
• 1924: 1/16 finals
• 1928: 1/4 finals
• 2008: 4th Place

Note: Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.

Euro 2012 qualifications

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Germany 10 10 0 0 34 7 +27 30 Turkey 10 5 2 3 13 11 +2 17 Belgium 10 4 3 3 21 15 +6 15 Austria 10 3 3 4 16 17 −1 12 Azerbaijan 10 2 1 7 10 26 −16 7 Kazakhstan 10 1 1 8 6 24 −18 4

Austria — 3–0 0–2 1–2 2–0 0–0 Azerbaijan 1–4 — 1–1 1–3 3–2 1–0 Belgium 4–4 4–1 — 0–1 4–1 1–1 Germany 6–2 6–1 3–1 — 4–0 3–0 Kazakhstan 0–0 2–1 0–2 0–3 — 0–3 Turkey 2–0 1–0 3–2 1–3 2–1 —

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Main article: 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group A

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Belgium 6 5 1 0 11 1 +10 16 Croatia 6 5 1 0 10 3 +7 16 Serbia 6 2 1 3 8 7 +1 7 Wales 6 2 0 4 6 14 −8 6 Macedonia 6 1 1 4 3 7 −4 4 Scotland 6 0 2 4 3 9 −6 2

Belgium — 1–1 1–0 2–0 7 Jun 15 Oct Croatia 11 Oct — 1–0 7 Jun 2–0 2–0 Macedonia 0–2 1–2 — 10 Sep 1–0 6 Sep Scotland 6 Sep 15 Oct 1–1 — 0–0 1–2 Serbia 0–3 6 Sep 15 Oct 2–0 — 6–1 Wales 0–2 1–2 11 Oct 2–1 10 Sep —

Current squad

The following players are the squad who were named for the friendly against United States on 29 May 2013 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Serbia on 7 June 2013.

Caps and goals are correct as of 16 May 2013.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club 12 1GK Simon Mignolet (1988-08-06) 6 August 1988 11 0 Sunderland 21 1GK Jean-François Gillet (1979-05-31) 31 May 1979 9 0 Torino 1 1GK Thibaut Courtois (1992-05-11) 11 May 1992 9 0 Atlético Madrid 1GK Thomas Kaminski (1992-10-23) 23 October 1992 0 0 Anderlecht 15 2DF Daniel Van Buyten (vice-captain) (1978-02-07) 7 February 1978 70 10 Bayern Munich 4 2DF Vincent Kompany (captain) (1986-04-10) 10 April 1986 53 4 Manchester City 5 2DF Jan Vertonghen (1987-04-24) 24 April 1987 47 4 Tottenham Hotspur 3 2DF Thomas Vermaelen (vice-captain) (1985-11-14) 14 November 1985 42 1 Arsenal 25 2DF Nicolas Lombaerts (1985-03-20) 20 March 1985 21 2 Zenit Saint Petersburg 2 2DF Toby Alderweireld (1989-03-02) 2 March 1989 23 0 Ajax 24 2DF Guillaume Gillet (1984-03-09) 9 March 1984 19 1 Anderlecht 13 2DF Laurent Ciman (1985-08-05) 5 August 1985 8 0 Standard Liège 23 2DF Sébastien Pocognoli (1987-08-01) 1 August 1987 8 0 Hannover 96 22 3MF Timmy Simons (1976-12-11) 11 December 1976 92 6 Nürnberg 11 3MF Mousa Dembélé (1987-07-16) 16 July 1987 47 5 Tottenham Hotspur 8 3MF Marouane Fellaini (1987-11-22) 22 November 1987 40 5 Everton 6 3MF Axel Witsel (1989-01-12) 12 January 1989 38 5 Zenit Saint Petersburg 18 3MF Steven Defour (1988-04-15) 15 April 1988 37 1 Porto 10 3MF Eden Hazard (1991-01-07) 7 January 1991 36 5 Chelsea 16 3MF Nacer Chadli (1989-10-02) 2 October 1989 13 2 Twente 3MF Thorgan Hazard (1993-03-29) 29 March 1993 0 0 Zulte Waregem 17 4FW Kevin Mirallas (1987-10-05) 5 October 1987 34 6 Everton 20 4FW Romelu Lukaku (1993-05-13) 13 May 1993 19 3 West Bromwich Albion 14 4FW Dries Mertens (1987-05-06) 6 May 1987 18 2 PSV 9 4FW Christian Benteke (1990-12-03) 3 December 1990 12 4 Aston Villa 7 4FW Kevin De Bruyne (1991-06-28) 28 June 1991 11 2 Werder Bremen 19 4FW Jelle Vossen (1989-03-23) 23 March 1989 11 2 Racing Genk 4FW Maxime Lestienne (1992-06-17) 17 June 1992 0 0 Club Brugge

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team in the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up GK Koen Casteels (1992-06-25) 25 June 1992 0 0 Hoffenheim v. United States, 29 May 2013 GK Olivier Renard (1979-05-24) 24 May 1979 0 0 Mechelen v. England, 2 June 2012 DF Jelle Van Damme (1983-10-10) 10 October 1983 30 0 Standard Liège v. Slovakia, 6 February 2013 DF Laurens De Bock (1992-11-07) 7 November 1992 0 0 Club Brugge v. Romania, 14 November 2012 DF Denis Odoi (1988-05-27) 27 May 1988 1 0 Anderlecht v. England, 2 June 2012 MF Radja Nainggolan (1988-05-04) 4 May 1988 4 0 Cagliari v. Slovakia, 6 February 2013 MF Thomas Buffel (1981-02-19) 19 February 1981 36 6 Racing Genk v. Slovakia, 6 February 2013 MF Jonathan Blondel (1984-04-03) 3 April 1984 4 0 Club Brugge v. Wales, 7 September 2012 FW Ilombe Mboyo (1987-04-27) 27 April 1987 2 0 Gent v. Romania, 14 November 2012 FW Igor de Camargo (1983-05-12) 12 May 1983 9 0 Hoffenheim v. Romania, 14 November 2012 FW Benjamin De Ceulaer (1983-12-19) 19 December 1983 0 0 Racing Genk v. Croatia, 11 September 2012

Statistics

Most capped

As of 23 March 2013 after Macedonia - Belgium
See also Progression of Belgium association football caps record.

Bold denotes still active players

#	Player	Belgium career	Caps
1	Jan Ceulemans	1977–1991	96
2	Timmy Simons	2001–	92
3	Eric Gerets	1975–1991	86
	Franky Van der Elst	1984–1998	86
5	Enzo Scifo	1984–1999	84
6	Paul Van Himst	1960–1974	81
7	Bart Goor	1999–2008	78
8	Georges Grün	1984–1995	77
9	Lorenzo Staelens	1990–2000	70
	Daniel Van Buyten	2001–	70
	Marc Wilmots	1990–2002	70

Top scorers

See also Progression of Belgium association football goalscoring record

#	Player	Belgium career	Goals	Caps
1	Bernard Voorhoof	1928–1940	30	61
	Paul van Himst	1960–1974	30	81
3	Marc Wilmots	1990–2002	29	70
4	Joseph Mermans	1945–1956	27	56
5	Robert de Veen	1906–1913	26	23
	Raymond Braine	1925–1939	26	54
7	Wesley Sonck	2001–2010	24	54
8	Marc Degryse	1984–1996	23	63
	Jan Ceulemans	1976–1991	23	96
10	Henri 'Rik' Coppens	1949–1959	21	47

Youngest players

The top 10 youngest players who made their debut for the national football team of Belgium and their team at that time.

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

Coaches

Name	Nat	Period
William Maxwell		1910–1913
Charles Bunyan, Sr.		1914
William Maxwell		1920–1928
Victor Löwenfelt		1928–1930
Hector Goetinck		1930–1934
Jules Turnauer		1935
Jack Butler		1935–1940
François Demol		1944–1946
Bill Gormlie		1947–1953
Dougall Livingstone		1953–1954
André Vandeweyer		1955–1957
Louie Nicolay		1957 (Caretaker)
Géza Toldi		1957–1958
Constant Vanden Stock		1958–1968
Raymond Goethals		Jun. 19, 1968 – Apr. 26, 1976
Guy Thys		May 22, 1976 – Jun. 9, 1989
Walter Meeuws		Jul. 23, 1989 – Feb. 21, 1990
Guy Thys		May 26, 1990 – May 1, 1991
Paul Van Himst		Sep. 1, 1991 – Mar. 21, 1996
Wilfried Van Moer		Oct. 8, 1996 – Dec. 27, 1996
Georges Leekens		Feb. 11, 1997 – Aug. 8, 1999
Robert Waseige		Aug. 20, 1999 – Jun. 30, 2002
Aimé Anthuenis		Aug. 21, 2002 – Dec. 31, 2005
René Vandereycken		Jan. 1, 2006 – Apr. 7, 2009
Franky Vercauteren		May 5, 2009 – Sep. 9, 2009
Dick Advocaat		Oct. 1, 2009 – Apr. 15, 2010
Georges Leekens		May 4, 2010 – May 13, 2012
Marc Wilmots		May 15, 2012 –

Historical Kits

1930 Home

1934-1954 Home

World Cup 1970/UEFA Euro 1972 Home

World Cup 1970/UEFA Euro 1972 Away

1980 Home

1982 Home

1982 Away

1984 Home

1984 Away

1986 Home

1986 Away

1990 Home

1990 Away

1994 home

1994 away

1998 home

1998 away

2000 home

2000 away

2002 Home

2009 Home

2010 Home

See also

• Belgium national youth football team (U-17, U-18, U-19, U20, U21, U23 Squads)
• Belgium women's national football team

External links

• Royal Belgium Football Association
• Footbel.be website – Belgian national team news website
• Footbel.be/National team statistics page/
• The Red Devils Archive
• RSSSF archive of results 1904–
• RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
• RSSSF archive of coaches 1904–
• IFFHS Archive:1904–1910