Over the years, the Premier League has seen several stars from Belgium achieve great results, inevitably including Eden Hazard, a young and retired star who has made his mark in the Premier League with his unrivalled technical prowess, and Kevin De Bruyne, who has established himself as one of the best playmakers on the planet at Manchester City.
In addition, the performances of Marouane Fellaini, Vincent Kompany and Thibaut Courtois have also attracted the attention of millions of viewers around the world. This article decided to select the 15 best Belgian players in the history of the Premier League.
15. Kevin Mirallas
Premier League appearances: 151
Born in Liège, Belgium, Kevin Mirallas played for France (Lille, Saint-Etienne) and Greece (Olympiacos) before moving to the Premier League in 2012. It didn't take long for the striker to make his mark at Everton. In his first season with the Toffees, he played in almost every tournament he qualified for, scoring six goals and providing six assists in 27 league games.
His consistency dropped the following season and he was sent out on loan twice (Olympiacos and Fiorentina). Overall, the Standard Liege star had made a total of 151 appearances and scored 38 goals in the English top flight before leaving in 2019.
14. Simon Mignolet
Premier League appearances: 245
In 2010, Simon Mignolet was recruited by Sunderland from St. Tryden in Belgium and got his first taste of the Premier League. At the Black Cats, the Belgian goalkeeper made rapid progress and became one of the most acclaimed goalkeepers in the Premier League at the time.
In 2013, after making 101 appearances for Sunderland, he left the Stadium of Light for Anfield, where Liverpool soon promoted him to first-team status. At Liverpool, the Belgian international made 155 Premier League appearances, keeping 51 of them to a clean sheet. In 2019, in his final season at Liverpool, he helped Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool win the Champions League. It was his first and only title at Liverpool, but undoubtedly the most important one of his phenomenal career.
13. Christian Benteke
Premier League appearances: 280
Christian Benteke is the Belgian player with the most Premier League appearances. The striker made his professional debut in his home league of Standard Liege before joining Aston Villa in August 2012.
In the summer of 2015, he persuaded Liverpool to spend almost £40 million to sign him. But just a year later, the Belgian star left Liverpool for Crystal Palace, where he played for six seasons (177 games, 37 goals, 12 assists) before heading to MLS in 2022.
12. Thomas Fairmaren
Premier League appearances: 110
Vermaelen joined the Gunners from Ajax in 2009 and spent five years in England, helping them win the FA Cup in 2014. After playing 150 games for Arsenal, Thomas Vermaelen left for Barcelona in the summer of 2014.
11. Divock Origi
Premier League appearances: 123
Liverpool fans might think that some of the goals scored by Divock Origi during his stay at Anfield should put him slightly higher in the rankings, but Origi's status in the team at the time limited his place on this list.
10. Yuri Tielemans
Premier League appearances: 177
9. Fellaini
Premier League appearances: 260
Marouane Fellaini may not have been a great performer during his time at Manchester United, but he is still the obvious choice for a number of managers in the dugout at Old Trafford. In his six seasons at United, he played 177 games for different managers, helping them win one Europa League and one FA Cup.
Marouane Fellaini is also on this list because of his performances at Everton. At the Toffees, he is a dynamic and versatile midfielder who can help both defensively and in attack. In his final full season with Everton, he scored 11 goals and provided six assists to help them finish sixth in the table.
8. Moussa Dembele
Premier League appearances: 243
7. Thibaut Courtois
Premier League appearances: 126
If we consider a player's entire career, Courtois would be ranked much higher. He is now Real Madrid's number one goalkeeper and has been key to their success since joining in 2018. But we're just looking at what they're doing for the Premier League side, so just look at Courtois' four years at Chelsea. But that's not to say he's been bad at Stamford Bridge. He is an excellent goalkeeper who helped the Blues to two Premier League titles under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, and even won the Golden Glove award in 2016/17.
6. Toby Alderweireld
Premier League appearances: 200
5. Jan Vertonghen
Premier League appearances: 232
4. Romelu Lukaku
Premier League appearances: 278
He may be one of the worst signings ever made by Chelsea, but let's not forget just how good Lukaku was at Everton and West Bromwich Albion. The striker has been an absolute lethal in front of goal for both teams, scoring 87 goals in 166 appearances for Everton.
While we're focusing on what each player has achieved in the Premier League, we can't ignore the fact that Romelu Lukaku is also Belgium's all-time top scorer.
3. Kompany
Premier League appearances: 265
It doesn't feel right to place the current Burnley boss in third place on this list, mainly because he has been so good in his more than a decade at Manchester City. The defender laid the cornerstone for City's success in the 2010s, laying the groundwork for City dominance under Pep Guardiola. Kompany made 360 appearances in a Manchester City shirt, winning four Premier League titles and multiple domestic cup titles.
2. Eden Hazard
Premier League appearances: 245
The Belgian superstar could have easily topped the charts and for many, that's exactly where he should be. After all, he excelled in his years at Chelsea, weaving from defender to defender and taking pleasure in scoring goals.
1. De Bruyne
Premier League appearances: 252
Manchester City's midfield maestro has to be number one. De Bruyne may not have been at Chelsea well years ago, but now he has completely changed and has become one of the best midfielders the English top flight has ever seen. He has improved every year since joining in 2015 and City have improved with him.