There will be arguments, naturally. De Bruyne has been the metronome of an era-defining Manchester City side, while Lukaku’s case rests on longevity, goals and his standing as Belgium’s leading scorer. But Hazard always had that rarer quality: he could make a match tilt on his own.
At his peak, he was not just productive - he was magnetic. Defenders backed off, crowds leaned forward, and games seemed to bend to his rhythm. That is often what separates a brilliant player from an unforgettable one.
What makes the ranking interesting is that it does not stop with the so-called golden generation.
And then there is Nilis, whose place feels almost mythic. Ronaldo’s quote gives weight to a player whose talent is still spoken about with a kind of wistfulness, especially after the injury that cut his career short in England.
That is the tension running through every Belgian all-time XI argument. So much class, so much style, and yet no major international trophy. The near-misses remain part of the story, from Euro 1980 to the 2018 World Cup run.
That is why rankings like this linger. They are not just about who was best; they are about what Belgium was, and what it somehow never fully became. The next chapter will come with the next international window - and with it, another chance for today’s stars to reshape the order.