Anoul became a legend with one shot during France-Belgium in the 1950s, after he blew a shot past the French goalkeeper after a 60-metre solo run. This play gave him the nickname ‘Hero of Colombes’ after the Paris stadium where the match was played. He had an impressive work ethic thanks to his mining family background. He played on the right wing, participated in the World Cup in Switzerland, and scored 20 goals for the Red Devils.

He came to Europe (Anderlecht) from Brazil at a very young age, looking for a future in football. Oliveira was a go-getter and was transformed from right back to lone striker in the Astridpark. He was super fast with the legs and smart with the head, with quick reactions. He played strong matches with Emile Mpenza for national team manager George Leekens. He played the 1998 World Cup in France with the Red Devils.

Boffin was a small and technical dribbler with a strong body. He started his career at St Truiden, developed at Club Liege and broke through at Anderlecht. The industrious midfielder could play both on the left and right side and could manage as a right back. He played in three consecutive World Cups with the Red Devils (1994,1998 and 2002).

He was an attacker at CS Verviers at the start of the last century, who became Olympic Champion with Belgium in 1920 and was in the starting line-up for the final. He made his debut in the national team with a 4-2 loss against The Netherlands, just before World War I. His best years came after the war when he scored five times in six matches for the Red Devils, including in the semi-final of the Olympic tournament against The Netherlands.

Raymond Braine is considered the country’s best player during the interwar period. He was suspended for the most important tournament, the 1930 World Cup, due to non-compliance with the amateur statute. He owned a bar which was not allowed for a football player as he, indirectly, generated income from his fame. This also proved costly for the RBFA, as he was truly missed during that World Cup. Braine became the first Belgian professional player to move abroad. He was an excellent player for Sparta Prague.

Buffel made his Red Devils debut in 2002 for national team manager Aimé Anthuenis, who made him an essential part in the three-way attack with Wesley Sonck and Emile Mpenza. The offensively-minded midfielder scored six times for the national team.  

Capelle was a great striker in the 1930s. Capelle came into the national team as a 17-year-old. He was a calculating player rather than a purely physical one. As striker at Standard, he was the undisputed leader of the Walloon national team players. His biggest achievement with the Red Devils occurred in Copenhagen when he helped the team come from 3-0 behind to win 3-4. He was selected for the 1934 and 1938 World Cups, but only played in 1934.

He was the symbol of determination and tenacity, coupled with technique and an eye for goals. He got the nickname “Strong Jan” for a reason. The name finds its origin in the formidable rush at the 1982 World Cup in Elche against Hungary. It was the basis of the Red Devils’ qualification for the second round. Ceulemans ran past two men, got tackled, fell over and got back up. His opponents were unable to catch him. His cross was fumbled into the goal by Alex Czerniatynski. Strong Jan was born.

Multipurpose allrounder who made his debut in 2011 and was a fixture in the group that qualified for the 2014 World Cup. He started that tournament as a starter, missed out on the 2016 EUROs, but became a core member of the team that won bronze at the 2018 World Cup. Finished the magnificent attack that won the match against Japan in the final seconds, on the way to the historic quarter final against Brazil and played his part with the assist for the 1-0 by Thomas Meunier in the 3rd place game.

He scored the liberating fourth goal in the famous match against the USSR at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and made legends out of his generation of Red Devils. The small man from Limburg had to compete with strong competition (Ceulemans, Czerniatynski, Vandenbergh) but managed to build a respectable international career, often as a hot-headed chaser. It worked, as proven by the 12 goals for the Red Devils, with whom he played three big tournaments. He played all the matches at the European Championship in 1984 and, after the fourth place in Mexico, joined the Devils at the World Cup in Italy four years later.

He was an attacker at Union at the start of the 20th century, where he scored an impressive 91 goals in 116 matches. He was known for his legendary shot. Coppée also scored easily for the national team: 9 goals in 15 matches. This included a hattrick in the quarter final of the Olympic football tournament in 1920 against Spain, and the opening goal in the final against Czechoslovakia from a penalty.

Coppens was a phenomenon, a non-conformist. He could do things with the ball that nobody else was able to. People came to the stadium for Coppens. Coppens played for the entertainment of the people. Sometimes he dribbled the goalkeeper, turned around and dribbled him again before scoring. At times, he kicked a penalty with his heel and with his back to the goal while pretending to give instructions. An art enthusiast and artist himself. Scored and let score. Defenders sweated and suffered. He drove them to despair. Coppens played the final round of the 1954 World Cup with Belgium in Switzerland.

He was a striker at Club Brugge who made his Red Devils debut on 22 April 1906 with two goals in the 0-5 win in and against France. Later, he even scored five goals against France. Up until the Raymond Braine era, De Veen was the most productive attacker in the country.

He was a class player with fancy flashes on the field and a personality in the team. After his transfer from Club Brugge to Anderlecht, he also became a leader at the Red Devils. He showed authority and led the way for the team. Degryse developed into a decisive player in the nineties. He played the World Cup in 1990 and 1994.

Diddens was a small left winger at Racing Mechelen, which was the best team in the city of the Dyle river up until 1930. Jan Diddens, nicknamed ‘den bekker’ was an unforgettable player of the club. He was frequently selected for the national team, where he was less successful than at his club. Diddens did play two of the three matches at the 1928 Olympic Games and two matches at the 1930 World Cup.

He was noticed at a young age and stood out through his talent and versatility. Emmers could do it all. Behind the strikers, on the right wing or as a centre back, he did well in any position. That was a disadvantage as well, as Emmers did not have one defined position. He was also plagued by injury during a large part of his career. He came back from injury every time, showing he had character as well. He played with the Red Devils at the 1990 and 1994 World Cup.

He was an industrious, physically strong, and easily scoring left midfielder. He rose through the ranks at second division club Verbroedering Geel, via Racing Genk to Anderlecht, where he was a key player in the team of Aimé Anthuenis during a fantastic Champions League campaign. He made his Red Devils debut a year before. His first of 13 goals for the national team was scored in the crazy match in The Netherlands which ended in a 5-5 draw. Goor played all matches at both the European Championship in 2000 and the 2002 World Cup.

Hanon was a graceful player who played with refinement and elegance and had a great shot. Not hard, but one that made the ball float. His passing was also excellent. Fans of the beautiful game came to the stadium for him. He was the Enzo Scifo before his time, in every way. Hannon was too modest to make more of his international career. Despite that, he was a regular standout and match-winner at both Anderlecht and the Red Devils. He died on 13 October 2017 at the age of 80.

Raoul Lambert was quick, explosive and had an incredibly hard shot. This power ruined his body, however. His short and powerful muscles took a toll on his knees, which he destroyed with almost every shot on goal. Despite his countless injuries, he had an exceptional career. He was so indispensable at Club Brugge that he went on (European) away trips when injured, just to sit in the stands. He scored a penalty while limping at the 1970 World Cup against El Salvador.

Larnoe was an attacker at Beerschot. He played all three matches at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp and scored the second Belgian goal against Czechoslovakia after several ‘masterful dummies’ as John Langenus described in his book “Voetbal van hier en overal”. The Czechoslovaks left the field dissatisfied less than 15 minutes later.

He was an exceptionally talented winger whose qualities led to him being called the Belgian Stanley Matthews, named after the legendary winger of English club Blackpool. As a dribbler, man with accelerations and changing tempo, Lemberechts was the star player of the mighty FC Mechelen (now KV Mechelen) of the fifties. He scored 14 goals in 42 matches for the national team. He became the only Belgian selected to play in a European team in Glasgow against Great Britain in 1947.

Mermans was an imposing figure. A man with presence both on and off the field. He is considered the man who made Anderlecht big. He had both a great header and a hard, well-placed shot. He scored often and many. His nickname was ‘the bombardier’ for a reason. A man of simplicity: control the ball and shoot. He was born too early really, in an era without much national team football. He played one match at the 1954 World Cup but, without a doubt, belongs among the best players in Belgian history.

He is a fast attacker with an instinct for goals. He displayed his talent at a young age at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where the young Devils came fourth. He was important in the build-up and during the 2014 World Cup in the team of national manager Marc Wilmots. He was selected afterwards as well, also by Roberto Martinez.

He was a midfielder and attacker at Racing Club Brussel, where he made his debut in the first team at age 19. He played 23 matches for the Belgian team between 1928 and 1931 and scored six goals. At the Olympic Games of 1928 in Amsterdam, Moeschal played three matches and scored three times. He also played in two matches at the 1930 World Cup but was unable to score.

This classy but also very modest midfielder with a golden left foot faced stiff competition from Franky Vercauteren at the Red Devils. He played an understated but strong final at the European Championship in 1980 in Italy, against West Germany. Unfortunately, few people remember that appearance, partly due to his introvert personality. He will be remembered mostly for his fantastic kicking technique. He played the European Championship in 1980 and was selected for the European Championship in 1984, as well as the 1982 and 1986 World Cup, in which he played the third place final.

He formed the first ‘Congolese’ sibling pair in the Belgian national team his brother Emile, although they were hardly ever on the field together. Mbo was a Red Devil for ten years and a fixture with Aimé Anthuenis. He was vice-captain with Eric Deflandre for captain Bart Goor. He played the European Championship in 2000 and the 1998 and 2002 World Cup.

Emile ‘Lokonda’ Mpenza and his brother Mbo formed the first ‘Congolese’ sibling pair in the Belgian national team in 1997, although they were hardly ever on the field together. Emile was like a chunk of granite: explosive, fast, and effective. He made his debut on 11 February 1997 against Northern Ireland for national team manager Georges Leekens, who was his manager at Moeskroen shortly before. He scored 19 goals in a 12-year career as a Red Devil.

Nilis was a beautiful football player with extraordinary kicking technique, especially when standing still. He could kick hard or with a curve. He relied on his technique and the inspiration of the moment. He made his Red Devils debut on 26 March 1988, but national team manager Guy Thys did not select him for the World Cup in Italy, which was the biggest disappointment of his career. He did play two World Cups (1994 and 1998) and played at the European Championships in 2000 for Robert Waseige.

Puis was famous for his golden left foot which was at the source of many goals. He was the last of the pure ‘wing players’. With little steps, he dribbled the entire left side to give a strong cross. He formed the left side with Anderlecht teammate Paul Van Himst at the Red Devils.
He scored nine times for the Devils, played at the 1970 World Cup and the European Championship in 1972. He passed away on 21 October 1981 at the young age of 38 of cancer.

Louis Saeys made his debut in the Belgian national team in 1907 with a 1-2 win in The Netherlands. He won the first national title with Cercle in 1911. Saeys was a fast and enthusiastic attacker who scored easily and was part of the three-man front line of the Red Devils. The entire attacking line was made up of players from Brugge, two from Cercle and three from Club.

‘Little Leon’ he was called, the small and fast winger from Standard. He loved sprinting down the line and cross to the strong strikers, or continue into the penalty area to wait for the right moment to get a penalty. He did so at the 1970 World Cup against El Salvador. Above all, the sympathetic man from Voeren was a pleasure to watch. He also played the European Championship at home in 1972.  

He was an easily scoring striker (24 goals in 55 national team matches). Sonck was able to jump high and had a strong header, despite his size. He was first selected on 2 June 2001 by Robert Waseige. He scored an important goal against Russia at the 2002 World Cup. He became an essential player for Aimé Anthuenis, in a team that was unable to qualify for a big tournament. Sonck became national U18 manager and was promoted in 2020 to lead the U19 team.

He kicked the decisive penalty against Spain at the 1986 World Cup to send the Red Devils into the semi-finals. That, by itself, made him a legend. Leo: “I started my run-up, tightened my upper leg, placed my left foot just next to the ball, in the right place, stiffly threw my right leg backwards, curled my toes, measured the power of the move and let the top of my foot perfectly hit the ball in the right place. The impact was relentless.”

He was an exceptionally versatile player. He could play at right back, right mid, right wing or even striker. Swat Van der Elst was also very fast and could score from any situation. Nobody could run through a defence as quickly as he did. He became a national team player before he was 18 and scored two goals in Glasgow to send Belgium to the European Championship in 1980 in Italy. He also played the 1982 World Cup in Spain.

He moved to Milan FC (now AC Milan) with two teammates in 1910, where he kept on scoring. He was named most popular football player in Italy and got the nickname “Luigi”.
He was part of the Front Wanderers during the war and only played his first match for the Red Devils in 1920, with whom he later became Olympic Champion. He understood the art of placing teammates in position before firing his deadly shot.

Van Himst was the record holder in the number of caps, and the star of Belgian football. He was renowned for his intuition and natural ability which was embodied in his dribbles, passes and shots on goal, all with the outside of the foot. He had a patent for that, it would seem. His style was beautiful: always upright, with a strong back, never looking down, always keeping the overview. He is probably the best football player in Belgian history, the biggest name as well. The current generation of Red Devils do provide strong competition in this area. Despite his status he only played in two big tournaments: the 1970 World Cup and the European Championship in 1972.

He was part of a family from Antwerp with close connections at Beerschot. He made his Red Devils debut on 3 May 1931 as successor to Dis Bastin and became a regular. Stanley did not walk run past his opponents, he danced away from them in a nonchalant manner. He was unable to play for three years, after a horrific broken leg during a game in Ireland. In 1938 he once again came into the national team.

He was a pure goal scorer, a killer in the penalty box and the most effective striker of his generation in the 1980s. He scored in every way and at any time. Nobody could position himself like he did, even though he was often up against a five-man defence with someone man-marking him. Vandenbergh played in the European Championships of 1980 and 1984 and the 1982 and 1986 World Cup. He became a legend with his goal in the opening match of the 1982 World Cup against defending champion Argentina.

Frank(y) Vercauteren was widely known for his curling precision crosses from the left side. There was no equal in Belgium for that position, and at the national team he also became a fixture. He gave the assist to Erwin Vandenbergh’s goal against Argentina at the 1982 World Cup in Spain. Vercauteren was also clever and shrewd. In the qualifying matches against The Netherlands for a place at the World Cup in Mexico, he managed to cause a red card for Wim Kieft, which allowed Belgium to win the game 1-0 against ten men. It also meant Kieft was suspended for the return match.

He was a player with a sober playing style, characterised by commitment and fighting spirit.
Paul van Himst allowed him his debut in the fall, after the 1994 World Cup and he was selected by national team manager Georges Leekens for the World Cup in France. He played every match at the European Championships in 2000 and had a big part in the qualification for the World Cup in Japan and South Korea. He scored in the home match against the Czech Republic and contributed to qualification, when a foul was committed against him in the penalty area in the return match. Wilmots scored the penalty and Belgium qualified for the World Cup.

Versyp was the type of modern ‘corner player’. Not only did he score goals, but he created most of them himself. Although his club, Club Brugge, did not perform all that well, he managed to get selected for the Red Devils more than 30 times, which confirms his qualities. He was selected for the 1930 and 1934 World Cup, but only played in the first one.

He was a goalgetter for SV Waregem who, like teammate Philippe Desmet, went to Mexico and played a strong World Cup, crowned with an important goal in the group stage against Paraguay. He made his debut, along with Desmet, in the legendary qualifying match against The Netherlands, when he came in as a substitute in the final 15 minutes when trailing 2-0. Grün headed us to Mexico ten minutes later.

He went to the first-ever World Cup in 1930 in Montevideo, Uruguay, as a 20-year-old attacker for Lierse. He also played the 1934 World Cup in Italy and in 1938 in France.  This makes him one of only four players in the world who have participated in all World Cups before World War II. Voorhoof is also the first Belgian player to score at a World Cup. At the 1934 World Cup, he scored two goals for Belgium against Germany in a 5-2 loss. He was top scorer for the Red Devils with 30 goals until Romelu Lukaku broke that record against Japan on 14 November 2017.

Marc Wilmots became known as an ever-present striker with a strong header and a hard shot. He evolved into a position behind the strikers later on and grew into a true leader on the field, often serving as an extension for national team manager Robert Waseige. He was selected for four World Cups (1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002), but did not play in 1990. He also led our country to two big tournaments as national team manager. At the 2014 World Cup, he reached the quarterfinal in which Belgium lost to Argentina. Two years later, at the European Championship in France, Belgium also went out in the quarterfinals.