Football in Belgium Football in Belgium Football, a sport which has been played in Belgium since the end of the 19th century, is the country's most popular sport. The national association was founded in 1895 with the intention of bringing some order and organization to the sport. The first match of the Belgium national team was played on 1 May 1904, a 3–3 draw against France. Traditionally, the clubs Anderlecht, Club Brugge and Standard Liège are the three most dominant domestic teams, all of them also having played and/or won one or more European Cup final(s). Save for Standard Liège and Charleroi, most
Athletic Bilbao in European football opponent: Most-played opponent nationality: Athletic's selective signing policy, limiting themselves to players with a connection to the Basque region, has meant only one player who played international football for a country other than Spain has featured for the club in European ties: Fernando Amorebieta, who represented Venezuela. The club record for European appearances is currently held by Markel Susaeta on 75, having overtaken José Ángel Iribar's longstanding total of 55 in 2016. The highest goalscorer is Aritz Aduriz on 34, including 10 in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League which won him the competition's "golden boot" award. Ernesto Valverde holds the