Belgium

There were fine players like Paul Van Himst, Leon Semeling, Jef Jurion, Wilfried Van Moer, and Raoul Lambert, but there was little to cheer for the Belgian national team during the 1960s. A failure to qualify for any significant international tournament meant Belgium's only...

The second-half of the 1970s had established Club Brugge as a major force in both the domestic and international game, but by the start of the 1980s that incredible cycle of success had ended and a difficult transition was happening. The departure of experienced...

Club Brugge accumulated Belgian titles with ease during the 1970s, winning five of them between 1973 and 1980. The following decade proved challenging for the club to recapture former glories. The title was lost on goal difference in 1986, but it was clear that...

For the 1982/83 season Berchem Sport hoped to regain the Belgian top-flight place the club had lost in 1981. In the previous campaign, the club had finished in a respectable fifth place, but this season did not bring the improvement that coach Raoul Peeters...

The 1998 – 99 season saw Eric Gerets’ Club Brugge finish a solid second in the league, beating rivals Anderlecht both home and away, and claiming Super Cup silverware with a victory over Racing Genk. Featuring a balanced mix of experienced players, goal-threatening midfielders,...

Club Brugge cemented its role as the dominant Belgian club of the decade with the 1977-78 season proving to be the greatest in the club's history to date. Ernst Happel's team duly won a third successive domestic title, but it was the European arena...

The 1998 – 99 season saw Eric Gerets’ Club Brugge finish a solid second in the league, beating rivals Anderlecht both home and away, and claiming Super Cup silverware with a victory over Racing Genk. Featuring a balanced mix of experienced players, goal-threatening midfielders,...

The 1976–77 season stands as one of the most complete chapters in Club Brugge’s rich history. Under Ernst Happel new faces blended seamlessly into the collective. On the third-to-last matchday Club clinched the title at Olympia. A commanding 3–0 victory, sealed by a Vandereycken...

Under coach Raymond Goethals the Belgian national team began the decade at the World Cup in Mexico, their first major tournament appearance since 1954. Group stage elimination with just a single victory over El Salvador was the best they could achieve, but with the...

In 1988 Racing Mechelen returned to the Belgian First Division, after a 12-year absence, and managed to maintain their top-flight status the following season. Racing saved itself on the final matchday with a 2-3 away win in Lokeren. The 1989-90 season proved much tougher...

There were fine players like Paul Van Himst, Leon Semeling, Jef Jurion, Wilfried Van Moer, and Raoul Lambert, but there was little to cheer for the Belgian national team during the 1960s. A failure to qualify for any significant international tournament meant Belgium's only...