The number of Belgian players that have come into the Premier League has grown over the years and it probably started around the time their golden generation first emerged.
There were some Belgian players who were playing in the Premier League before then, but it was around the time their golden generation first emerged where we saw a revolution of Belgian players in the Premier League.
The majority of Belgian players that have come into the Premier League have developed into some of the best players in the world, and some of those players are on the list.
And here it is:
Romelu Lukaku
Vincent Kompany
Eden Hazard
Jan Vertonghen
Toby Alderweireld
Kevin De Bruyne
Thibaut Courtois
Marouane Fellaini
Youri Tielemans
Christian Benteke
Thibaut Courtois
Courtois had to be in 10th because he's a goalkeeper, who don't as much credit as the more attacking players do, and he didn't play in the Premier League for long.
He had to wait to get his chance at Chelsea because of Petr Cech being the clear no.1 when he arrived. But after three good loan spells at Atletico Madrid, he finally got his chance and took it with both hands as he demoted Petr Cech to the bench and kept him out the side.
He was brilliant in both of Chelsea's title winning seasons in 2015 and 2017, the latter of which he won the golden glove. His saves and presence between the sticks played a key part in both.
Christian Benteke
Benteke was a tough striker to play against on his day as he was big, strong, physical and great in the air. He was one of those strikers who wanted balls into the box who he could head them home.
He scored a lot of goals when he was at Villa which was where we saw the best of him. His goals in each of his three seasons there played a huge role in them staying up.
He wasn't the same player after he left Villa as his big move to Liverpool didn't work out due to him not suiting their style of play whilst at Palace, he lost his confidence despite a decent first season there.
He's currently playing in the MLS with DC United where's been scoring goals for fun.
Youri Tielemans
Tielemans has been one of the best midfielders outside the top six since he's been in the Premier League because of his work rate off the ball, and ability to break into the box to score goals.
He did this a lot when he was at Leicester where he scored a number of important goals for them, including that rocket he scored in the FA Cup final in 2021.
He hasn't scored many since he's been at Villa nor has been someone who plays every game due to Villa having a lot of options in midfield. But he has still put in some decent performances since he's been there whenever he's been given the chance.
Marouane Fellaini
Fellaini was best remembered for his afro hairstyle during his time in the Premier League but as a player, he was tough, strong, physical and good in the air.
He showed all these when he was at Everton where he also scored a number of important goals alongside putting in some strong performances in the midfield.
He could divide opinion among the Man United fans, but he was still an effective player for them during his time there. Especially under both Van Gaal and Mourinho, under whom he scored a number of important and put in some good performances in the midfield.
Toby Alderweireld
Alderweireld was arguably the best defender in the Premier League when he was at Spurs as he was a solid defender who read the game well, and made lots of crucial interventions.
He made a massive difference to Spurs when he arrived as he improved them massively defensively and immediately formed a strong partnership with Jan Vertonghen at the back.
His partnership at the back with Jan Vertonghen took Spurs onto another level, going from being a top four chasing team to a four team.
Jan Vertonghen
I've put Vertonghen just ahead of Alderweireld because he played in the Premier League longer.
Vertonghen was a solid defender right throughout his time at Spurs as he was good in the air, made interventions at the right time, and was a good reader of the game.
He was also versatile as he filled in at both centre back and at times left back, the latter of which he did a solid job whenever he was asked to play there.
His partnership at the back with Alderweireld made Spurs a better team defensively and took them onto another level.
Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku was as good as any striker in Europe on his day as he was big, strong, quick, good in the air, and could score almost any kind of goal.
But he didn't show it enough and especially in the big games. He received a lot of criticism for not turning up in the big games and especially when he was at Man United. This is probably what held him back from reaching his full potential.
He was still a great striker though as he scored a lot of goals and was one of the best strikers in the Premier League. He showed that when he was at Everton where he got the majority of his goals and had his best years in England.
Had he fulfilled his potential, he could've been one of the best striker in world football.
Eden Hazard
We've seen some Belgian players develop into world class players in the Premier League and Hazard was one of them.
He was an absolute nightmare to play against for defenders as he was quick, skilful and could twist defenders in knots with his trickery.
He scored some incredible goals when he was at Chelsea and the best two I can think of are his solo efforts against Arsenal in 2017, and West Ham in 2019. Those two goals summed him up as a player because of the way he scored them and the amount of players he beat in the build up.
It was disappointing that his move to Real Madrid didn't work because a lot of people thought he was going to be great there. Had he made that move a year earlier, maybe things might've been different. But we'll never know.
Vincent Kompany
One of the finest defenders the Premier League has ever seen. Kompany was both a great defender and a great leader during his time at Man City, and they were a much better team defensively when he was in it because of the leadership he brought.
Alongside his abilities as a defender, he also scored some crucial goals including his winner in the Manchester Derby in 2012, and his rocket against Leicester in 2019. Both goals played a huge part in City winning the title on both occasions.
He won four Premier League titles at City and although he did have a lot of injuries towards the end of his time there, he was still had a positive influence on the team in the dressing room because of his leadership.
Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne has arguably been the best player in the Premier League after the last five to six years because of his ability to run a game from midfield, and play any kind of pass from almost anywhere on the pitch.
He never got much of a chance at Chelsea after arriving there at such a young age. He later went on to prove that it was wrong to let him go as he's gone on to become one of if not the best midfielder in the world.
He's been one of my favourite players to watch over the last few years and I had to have him at no.1 because of the player he's been, and how important he's been to Man City's success over the last few years.
MY TOP 10
Kevin De Bruyne
Vincent Kompany
Eden Hazard
Romelu Lukaku
Jan Vertonghen
Toby Alderweireld
Marouane Fellaini
Youri Tielemans
Christian Benteke
Thibaut Courtois
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