ALL TIME BEST TOP DIVISION GOAL SCORERS - BELGIUM - Part 11
Picture : Albert De Cleyns on the top !
All-time best top division goal-scorers: Belgium (Part 11)
The Belgian League is one of the oldest national leagues in the world. It was established in 1895.
Albert De Cleyn holds its goal-scoring record with 377 goals in 488 games for Mechelen between 1932 and 1955.
He and Jef Mermans (343) are only two players to reach 300-goal mark. Another 10 players achieved 200 goals. There are no foreigners and no active players between them.
The most prolific foreign striker Rob Rensenbrink (Netherlands) has scored 169 goals in 317 games for Club Brugge and Anderlecht from 1969 to 1979.
The mark of 150 goals is achieved by 32 players. The only active of them Jelle Vossen has 159 goals at the moment.
The official ranking doesn’t include 3 “war championships”: 1939-40 (unfinished), 1940-41 and 1944-45 (again unfinished). But sometimes the goals scored in them are added.
So, it makes sense to present a parallel ranking which includes the “war goals” (WG) and “war appearances” (WA). The total numbers (TG, TA) are given on the right.
Albert De Cleyn’s tally, including the war championships, rises to 428.
Noteworthy is the abundance of players who throughout the career were devoted to one club. Among the all-time top 12, as many as 7 scored for only one club, including the entire podium.
| BELGIUM | 1895- | ALL- | TIME | BEST TOP DIVISION GOAL SCORERS | |||||
| Player | Period | Goals | App | Breakdown by clubs | WG | WA | TG | TA | |
| 1 | Albert De Cleyn | 1932-1955 | 377 | 488 | Mechelen 377 | 51 | 34 | 428 | 522 |
| 2 | Jef Mermans | 1941-1957 | 343 | 384 | Anderlecht 343 | 23 | 15 | 366 | 399 |
| 3 | Bernard Voorhoof | 1927-1948 | 296 | 474 | Lierse 296 | 22 | 21 | 318 | 495 |
| 4 | Arthur Ceuleers | 1933-1951 | 288 | 398 | Beerschot 202, Racing Club 86 | 25 | 20 | 313 | 418 |
| 5 | Rik Coppens | 1947-1962 | 261 | 389 | Beerschot 258, Olympic Charleroi 3 | 261 | 389 | ||
| 6 | Erwin Vandenbergh | 1976-1995 | 255 | 428 | Lierse 117, Anderlecht 87, Gent 47, Molenbeek 4 | 255 | 428 | ||
| 7 | Paul Deschamps | 1946-1956 | 241 | 299 | Liège 241 | 241 | 299 | ||
| 8 | Jean Capelle | 1929-1944 | 240 | 251 | Standard 240 | 12 | 16 | 252 | 267 |
| 9 | Paul Van Himst | 1959-1975 | 235 | 477 | Anderlecht 234, Molenbeek 1 | 235 | 477 | ||
| 10 | Jan Ceulemans | 1974-1991 | 230 | 518 | Lierse 39, Club Brugge 191 | 230 | 518 | ||
| 11 | Raoul Lambert | 1962-1980 | 212 | 373 | Club Brugge 212 | 212 | 373 | ||
| 12 | Raymond Braine | 1922-1944 | 206 | 268 | Beerschot 206 | 8 | 20 | 214 | 288 |