For a sustained period, Belgium boasted one of the most talented squads on the planet. It was a golden generation that were consistently among the favourites to win any major tournament they showed up to but ultimately left every trip to the World Cup and European Championships empty-handed.

With much of the squad that finished third at the 2018 World Cup either retired or coming to the end of their careers, the peak of that particular cycle appears to have passed.

But the country’s contribution to the game stretches further than one generation of players. The Belgian sides of the 1980s were no less formidable in their own right, reaching the semi-finals of the 1986 World Cup and finishing as runners-up at Euro 1980.

Some incredible talents have pulled on the nation’s shirt for the Red Devils, a lot of them coming over the span of the last decade or so. It begs the question: who are the greatest Belgian players of all time?

15

Axel Witsel

Career Span: 2006-Present

Axel Witsel was the glue that held Belgium’s midfield together for the best part of a decade. While many of the names on this list tended to grab the headlines ahead of him, Witsel quietly got on with the job, providing the balance that allowed his more attack-minded teammates to flourish.

His career saw him play for some of Europe’s big boys, spending four years at Borussia Dortmund before a three-year stint at Atletico Madrid. He earned well over 100 international caps and was rarely the first name opposition fans feared, but he was almost always the first name on the team sheet.

14

Dries Mertens

Career Span: 2006-2025

After 33 combined goals and assists in a single Eredivise season, Dries Mertens moved to Italy and became a Napoli icon, and is their all-time leading scorer with 148 goals. No small feat at a club that once had Diego Maradona on its books.

At 5ft 7in, he was never the most imposing figure in an attacking line, but he more than made up for it with intelligent movement, technical brilliance and an impressive goal catalogue. He was equally important in a Belgium shirt, representing his country over 100 times, appearing at multiple World Cups and European Championships.

13

Michel Preud’homme

Career Span: 1977-1999

Michel Preud’homme is one of the finest goalkeepers Belgium has ever produced. Commanding in the box and blessed with sharp reflexes, he was a dominant presence for both Standard Liege and Mechelen, but a match-fixing scandal in the early 1980s cost him six months of his career.

After spending the early portion of his international career behind Jean-Marie Pfaff, Preud’homme would go on to be a regular starter for the next seven years. His crowning international moment came at the 1994 World Cup, where his performances were so impressive that he was given the tournament’s Golden Glove award and voted as the world’s best goalkeeper by The International Federation of Football History & Statistics that same year.

12

Mousa Dembele

Career Span: 2003-2022

Mousa Dembele rarely courted the spotlight, but those who played alongside him or against him knew exactly what they were dealing with. The midfielder possessed a rare combination of power, balance and technical ability that made him almost impossible to dispossess, and at his peak many regarded him as one of the most naturally gifted players in Europe.

His time in the Premier League with Fulham and Tottenham showcased those qualities, and he was a valued presence for Belgium across several major tournaments. He likely deserved more recognition than he got, but that’s rather fitting for a player who never asked for it.

11

Jan Ceulemans

Career Span: 1974-1992

Long before Belgium’s golden generation emerged, Jan Ceulemans was setting the standard for those who would follow. The powerful attacking midfielder earned more than 90 caps for his country, captained the side through one of their most successful periods and was central to the run that took them to the semi-finals of the 1986 World Cup, knocking out the Soviet Union and Spain.

At club level, he near-enough spent his entire career at Club Brugge, winning multiple league titles and becoming one of the most celebrated Belgian players ever.

10

Enzo Scifo

Career Span: 1982-2001

A four-time Ballon d’Or nominee, Enzo Scifo’s lesser-known career was one of the kickstarters to the rich vein of talent seen emanating from Belgium ever since his prominence in the 1980s. Enjoying spells with the likes of Inter and AS Monaco across his 18-year career, it was home club RSC Anderlecht wherein he enjoyed the majority of his success.

Debuting for the team as a 17-year-old in 1983, Scifo made over 100 appearances for the side across his four-year spell, marking his name out as one of the hottest young players in Europe after helping the side to three straight league titles.

Further respectable spells with Inter, Monaco, Auxerre and Torino followed, with Scifo enjoying a decent goal record across his career. Having made his debut for Belgium aged just 18, he went on to make 84 appearances for his country, scoring 18 goals. An under-appreciated and lesser-known player with a remarkable career path and depth of talent.

9

Toby Alderweireld

Career Span: 2006-2025

Having burst onto the scene as a 19-year-old for Dutch side Ajax, Toby Alderweireld might just be one of the most underrated centre-backs to have played the game. Having made over 100 showings for the Dutch giants, a debut for his country and subsequent move to Atlético Madrid followed for Alderweireld. After struggling to break into the Atleti first team, he was loaned to Premier League side Southampton, where his impressive season took him to Tottenham on a permanent deal.

Alderweireld would go on to become ever-present in the Spurs team, and although he may not have picked up any trophies in his time there, he played a big part alongside compatriot Jan Vertonghen in reaching the 2019 Champions League final, where they were defeated cruelly by Liverpool. Alderweireld and Vertonghen’s partnership transcended club level, with the pair making well over 100 appearances each for the Red Devils in a golden age for Belgian centre-backs, with a certain Vincent Kompany in the offing as well.

8

Jean-Marie Pfaff

Career Span: 1971-1990

The goalkeeper of the tournament in Belgium’s semi-final run in the 1986 World Cup, Belgian Bayern icon Pfaff was one of the most unique goalkeepers to grace the game.

Though not the tallest goalkeeper around, standing at 5’11, Pfaff was still an incredibly confident, commanding goalkeeper who was renowned for his incredible shot-stopping ability and composure with the ball at his feet.

El Simpatico’s 300+ appearance-laden time across his ten-year spell at home club Beveren eventually earned a call from Bayern Munich, where Pfaff would go on to play a further 156 games in between the sticks for the Bavarian giants, earning himself the right to call himself one of Belgium’s best ever goalkeepers, and one of the best in the world in his prime.

7

Paul Van Himst

Career Span: 1959-1977

Voted the best Belgian footballer in the 20th century, Paul Van Himst’s career may not have been a particularly mainstream one, but his time at Anderlecht will forever be the stuff of legend, for them. Spending nearly his entire career with the Belgian giants between 1959 and 1975, Van Himst was an incredibly prolific and efficient goalscorer, recording double-digit seasons for ten campaigns in a row, as well as becoming the clubs highest appearance maker with 457 showings for Anderlecht.

He was renowned in Belgium for his pace and creativity, being just as effective in creating goals as he was at putting them away. His loyalty to his beloved Anderlecht may have prevented his career from hitting the mainstream, but Van Himst likely doesn’t care as he became one of the most legendary players in Anderlecht’s history.

6

Jan Vertonghen

Career Span: 2005-2025

Nearly everything that can be said in regards to long-term partner Alderweireld applies to Jan Vertonghen too. He holds the record as Belgium’s most-capped player with 157 and shared the pitch with his teammate on over 350 occasions for club and country. A 2012 signing from Ajax, Vertonghen spent almost a decade with Tottenham in the Premier League, being another vital piece to the puzzle that came inches away from a remarkable Champions League success.

Vertonghen’s calmness on the ball and proficiency going forward outed him in his prime as one of the better ball-playing defenders in the world, and his aforementioned partnership with Alderweireld was formidable, though it may not have brought home any trophies.

Spanish footballer Rafa Mir has been sentenced to eight and a half years. The 28-year-old has been on the books at Sevilla since 2021, although spent last season on loan at Elche.

He was tried on 28 May on charges of sexual assault and causing bodily harm, and has now been found guilty by a Valencia court. The striker is known in England, having spent three years at Wolves between 2018 and 2021, during which time he also spent a season on loan at Nottingham Forest when both clubs were still in the Championship.

Mir and his friend and fellow footballer Pablo Jara were both arrested in September 2024 after two women accused them of sexual assault at Mir’s residence. Jara was also sentenced to two years in prison for sexual assault and a further six months for an offence against moral integrity, as well as ordering him to pay a €6,280 fine.

Rafa Mir Found Guilty of Sexual Assault

In a statement confirming that Mir had been found guilty, a Valencia court announced on Monday, via ESPN:

Mir will also have to pay €64,000 as compensation to the victim.

Rafa Mir To Appeal Count Ruling as Sevilla Make Statement

The sentence is not final, however, and Mir has confirmed that he will appeal. He maintained his innocence during the one-day hearing in Valencia on 28 May, insisting the two women consented to having sexual relations with him.

After the ruling, he posted on Instagram:

Sevilla have released their own statement, condemning ‘any type of violence, abuse, or sexual assault’. In full, the statement read:

“On the ruling of the Provincial Court of Valencia regarding Rafa Mir.

“The club, in light of the judgment issued by Section Four of the Provincial Court of Valencia in which footballer Rafa Mir—currently on loan at Elche CF until June 30—is sentenced to eight and a half years, states its utmost respect for judicial proceedings and expresses our firm and unequivocal condemnation of any type of violence, abuse, or sexual assault.

“Such conduct has no place in our society or in the values promoted by sport.”

Mir was playing on loan at Valencia from Sevilla at the time when the crime is alleged to have taken place, while Jara was with lower division club Alcantarilla FC.

Arsenal have been dealt a boost in their bid to land a new left-winger this summer, with one of their possible targets now available. The Gunners need to strengthen on the left having struggled to get consistent performances from their players on that side, though Leandro Trossard did have an impressive campaign.

Ultimately, though, Arsenal need someone as dangerous as Bukayo Saka on the left to ensure they have a complete front three, and it seems that is very much the plan this summer. The left-winger signing is likely to be responsible for much of Arsenal’s financial outlay this summer, and there are already a couple of likely targets.

Morgan Rogers has reportedly been singled out as the ideal option, but there may now be a decision to make due to the availability of one of the world’s best left wingers.

Barcola becomes available

via Reuters

According to TalkSport reporter Alex Crooks, PSG and France left-winger Bradley Barcola has now become available due to failed contract negotiations with his club.

Crooks said on TalkSport’s YouTube: “Another potential star of this World Cup – Bradley Barcola. He is in demand when it comes to Premier League clubs. Liverpool and Arsenal are both tracking Barcola, and I woke up to a message this morning from a very reliable source that Barcola has asked to leave PSG. He has been in contract negotiations and those negotiations have stalled, which could open the door to Liverpool and Arsenal.

“Arsenal obviously looking to strengthen out wide, and that could mean Gabriel Martinelli is sold, maybe Leandro Trossard as well. While Morgan Rogers is very much Arsenal’s top choice, I certainly wouldn’t rule out a move for Barcola, who could be a key player for France as they look to go all the way here in North America this summer.”

Barcola a worthwhile option

With Aston Villa in the Champions League and unlikely to sell Rogers, at least not for a crazy fee, Barcola is an option Arsenal should be considering. The ‘world-class’ 23-year-old is already playing at a world-class level, scoring 13 and assisting seven this season, and he can play across the front line.

Kylian Mbappé said of Barcola this week: “It was inevitable that he would reach the highest level, but he did so in his very first season in Paris. He’s really starting to establish himself with the national team. Bradley doesn’t talk much. You have to understand that. But once you do, you know he’s a great guy.”

He is a little unlucky in that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has the left wing spot locked down at PSG, likely being the best in the world in his position, but Barcola has plenty to offer, and he can surely elevate Arsenal’s attack to a new level. It will likely be a pricey deal, but the fee is also likely to be less than what Villa will ask for Rogers this summer.