Sport & Heroes

Cycling as a religion, the Red Devils, tennis golden girls, F1 at Spa, and the athletes a small country punches far above its weight with.

Part of Belgium

39 moments in this segment.

1. 1913-01-01 - Tour of Flanders (Ronde). The Ronde van Vlaanderen, cobbled climbs, the Koppenberg, and a near-religious one-day classic in Flemish cycling.
2. 1925-01-01 - Spa-Francorchamps. Eau Rouge, the Ardennes forest, and the greatest corner in Formula 1, Belgium’s temple of speed.
3. 1936-01-01 - The Roubaix Velodrome. The open-air "Hell of the North" finish, the cathedral of cobbled-classics suffering.
4. 1972-01-01 - Merckx - The Hour Record. Mexico City, 1972: Eddy Merckx’s legendary, agonising hour record on the track.
5. 1974-01-01 - The Yellow-Jersey Years. Five Tours, five Giri, the hour record, Eddy Merckx’s palmarès is unmatched in cycling.
6. 1976-01-01 - RSC Anderlecht. Belgium’s most successful football club, purple-and-white, 34 league titles, European silverware.
7. 1977-01-01 - Roger De Vlaeminck. "Monsieur Paris-Roubaix", four wins on the cobbles, one of the great classics riders.
8. 1978-01-01 - Club Brugge. The blue-and-black powerhouse of Bruges, Anderlecht’s great rival, a Champions League regular.
9. 1999-01-01 - Frank Vandenbroucke. The mercurial 1990s cycling talent, dazzling, doomed, and unforgettable to Belgian fans.
10. 2003-01-01 - Justine Henin - The Backhand. Seven Grand Slams and the most beautiful one-handed backhand in the women’s game.
11. 2003-01-01 - Stefan Everts - Motocross King. Ten-time motocross world champion, one of the sport’s greatest ever, from Belgium.
12. 2005-01-01 - Kim Clijsters - US Open 2005. The beloved Limburg star’s first Grand Slam, a fan favourite worldwide.
13. 2007-01-01 - Justine Henin - Roland-Garros. The one-handed backhand that won four French Opens.
14. 2008-01-01 - Kim Gevaert. The sprint queen of the 2000s, Olympic relay gold and a Belgian athletics icon.
15. 2009-01-01 - Kim Clijsters - US Open 2009. World No.1 and four-time Grand Slam champion, her comeback US Open win as a mother is half of Belgium’s tennis golden era.
16. 2012-01-01 - The Borlée Family. The 400m dynasty, twins, a sister and a coaching father who made Belgium a relay power.
17. 2012-01-01 - Eden Hazard - The Magician. The dribbling magician of the golden generation, his Chelsea goals at their dazzling peak.
18. 2012-01-01 - Tom Boonen - Paris-Roubaix. Flanders’ beloved "Tornado Tom", his record-equalling fourth Roubaix win in 2012.
19. 2016-01-01 - Kevin De Bruyne - The Assists. One of the finest playmakers of his generation, the passing engine of City and the Red Devils.
20. 2017-01-01 - Philippe Gilbert - Flanders 2017. World champion and monument-winner, his epic 55km solo win at the 2017 Tour of Flanders.
21. 2017-04-07 - Jean-Marie Pfaff - Best Saves. The legendary 1980s Red Devils goalkeeper, once named the world’s best, later a reality-TV star.
22. 2018-01-01 - Red Devils - Belgium 3-2 Japan. The 2018 World Cup comeback from 2-0 down, the night the golden generation announced itself.
23. 2018-01-01 - The Red Devils. Belgium’s golden-generation national football team, world No.1 and a source of rare national unity.
24. 2018-01-01 - Romelu Lukaku - World Cup Goals. The Red Devils’ record goalscorer, the striking force of the golden generation.
25. 2018-01-01 - Red Devils - Belgium 2-1 Brazil. The 2018 World Cup quarter-final upset over the favourites, Belgium’s finest hour.
26. 2018-01-01 - Thibaut Courtois - The Wall. Golden Glove at the 2018 World Cup, his save vs Brazil that sent Belgium to the semis.
27. 2018-01-01 - Wout van Aert - The Cyclocross Duels. The mud-spattered rivalry that defined a generation of cyclocross.
28. 2019-01-01 - Cyclocross Country. Belgium is the world capital of cyclocross, muddy winter racing watched by huge, beery crowds.
29. 2019-01-01 - Kevin De Bruyne - The Playmaker. The pinpoint passes of one of the finest midfielders of his era.
30. 2019-01-01 - Kompany - The Leicester Screamer. Manchester City captain and Red Devils leader, his title-winning thunderbolt vs Leicester in 2019.
31. 2019-07-12 - Merckx Wins the Tour. Eddy Merckx’s crushing 1969 Tour de France debut, the legend begins.
32. 2020-01-01 - Mathieu van der Poel - Tour of Flanders 2020. The duel with van Aert over the Belgian bergs, modern cycling theatre.
33. 2021-01-01 - Nafissatou Thiam - Heptathlon Gold. Double Olympic heptathlon champion, modern Belgian athletics royalty.
34. 2022-01-01 - Remco Evenepoel - Wollongong 2022. The prodigy carrying Belgian cycling into a new era, his solo ride to the 2022 world title.
35. 2022-01-01 - Wout van Aert - The Solo. The all-rounder dominating road, cyclocross and time trials, his sensational 2022 Tour stage solo.
36. 2022-01-01 - Remco Evenepoel - World Champion. The young phenom’s solo ride to the 2022 road world title.
37. 2022-01-01 - Wout van Aert - Tour de France. The Belgian all-rounder winning sprints, mountains and time trials alike.
38. 2022-10-23 - The Cobbled Classics. The brutal pavé spring classics where Belgian riders have always reigned, mud, dust and hard men.
39. 2023-06-09 - Jacky Ickx - The Le Mans Walk. Six-time Le Mans winner and F1 great, his protest of the running start changed the race forever.