In association football, the Belgian Golden Shoe (, , German: Goldener Schuh) is an award given in Belgium at the beginning of each civil year to the best footballer of the Belgian Pro League for the past year. The trophy is sponsored by the Belgian newspaper .
The voters are a selection of Belgian press specialists and football personalities. They are invited to vote for the best player of the competition for both half seasons (previous season second half and current season first half) and each get to submit a top three, scoring 3, 2 and 1 point respectively. As a result, a player can receive all of his votes in one half season (e.g. if he joined the championship from abroad during summer), or he can receive votes for matches with two (or more) different teams, as with Philippe Albert in 1992 and Mbark Boussoufa in 2006.
Paul Van Himst has collected 4 Belgian Golden Shoes which is the current record. Jan Ceulemans, Wilfried Van Moer and Hans Vanaken have won the trophy three times. The first foreigner to win the trophy was the Dutchman Johan Boskamp, especially for his excellence during the second half of the 1974–75 season, when his club, RWDM (currently defunct), won its first and only championship title. The only foreigners who have won the award more than once are the Swede Pär Zetterberg and the Moroccan Mbark Boussoufa. In 2011, Argentinian Matías Suárez became the first South American to be awarded the Golden Shoe.
From 2000, an award was also given to the best Belgian footballer abroad, although this award was not handed out in certain years, specifically from 2003 to 2007 and 2010 to 2011. Since 2013, the best coach, best goalkeeper, and best youngster awards have also been handed out. Finally, in 2016, Tessa Wullaert was awarded the first-ever Golden Shoe for women football players. Contrary to the men's award which is awarded to the best player in Belgium, the women's award goes to the best Belgian footballer, playing either in Belgium or abroad.
Men Golden Shoe
YearWinnerClub(s)SecondClub(s)ThirdClub(s) 1954 Beerschot Anderlecht RFC Liège 1955 Lierse Antwerp Anderlecht 1956 Antwerp Standard Liège Daring Club Bruxelles 1957 Anderlecht RFC Liège Antwerp 1958 Gent Olympic Charleroi Standard Liège 1959 Lierse Olympic Charleroi Beerschot 1960 Anderlecht Standard Liège Gent 1961 Anderlecht Standard Liège Anderlecht 1962 Anderlecht Standard Liège Anderlecht 1963 Standard Liège Anderlecht Lierse 1964 Anderlecht Anderlecht Standard Liège 1965 Anderlecht Anderlecht Anderlecht 1966 Antwerp Club Brugge RFC Liège 1967 Club Brugge Standard Liège Standard Liège 1968 Sint-Truiden Standard Liège Racing White 1969 Standard Liège Standard Liège Racing White 1970 Standard Liège Standard Liège Racing White 1971 Club Brugge Anderlecht Standard Liège 1972 Standard Liège Racing White Standard Liège 1973 Racing White Standard Liège Club Brugge 1974 Anderlecht Standard Liège RWDM 1975 RWDM Anderlecht Club Brugge 1976 Anderlecht Anderlecht Club Brugge 1977 Club Brugge Beveren Anderlecht 1978 Beveren Club Brugge Anderlecht 1979 Beveren Club Brugge Beveren 1980 Club Brugge Beringen Lierse 1981 Lierse Anderlecht Standard Liège 1982 Standard Liège Anderlecht Anderlecht 1983 Anderlecht Beveren Club Brugge 1984 Anderlecht Club Brugge Anderlecht 1985 Club Brugge Waregem Anderlecht 1986 Club Brugge Anderlecht Standard Liège 1987 Mechelen Antwerp Club Brugge 1988 Mechelen Club Brugge Mechelen 1989 Mechelen Mechelen Club BruggeAnderlecht 1990 Club Brugge Anderlecht Anderlecht 1991 Anderlecht Mechelen Anderlecht 1992 MechelenAnderlecht Club Brugge Cercle Brugge 1993 Anderlecht Club Brugge Cercle Brugge 1994 Anderlecht Club Brugge Club Brugge 1995 Club Brugge Standard Liège Anderlecht Sheffield Wednesday 1996 Club Brugge Anderlecht Germinal Ekeren 1997 Anderlecht Club Brugge Lierse 1998 Genk Genk Club BruggeAnderlecht 1999 Anderlecht LokerenAnderlecht Westerlo 2000 Anderlecht MouscronAnderlecht Anderlecht 2001 Genk Club Brugge Anderlecht 2002 Club Brugge Genk Sint-Truiden 2003 Anderlecht Anderlecht Mouscron 2004 Anderlecht Mouscron Auxerre Lierse 2005 Standard Liège Anderlecht Anderlecht 2006 GentAnderlecht Standard LiègeAnderlecht Anderlecht 2007 Standard Liège Anderlecht Cercle Brugge 2008 Standard Liège Standard Liège Standard Liège Everton 2009 Standard Liège Anderlecht Anderlecht 2010 Anderlecht Anderlecht Cercle BruggeGenk 2011 Anderlecht Standard Liège Benfica Genk Atlético Madrid 2012 Anderlecht Genk Anderlecht 2013 Zulte Waregem Club Brugge Anderlecht 2014 Anderlecht Club Brugge Lokeren 2015 Gent Gent Gent 2016 Club Brugge Anderlecht Club Brugge 2017 Club Brugge Anderlecht Monaco Anderlecht 2018 Club Brugge Standard Liège Genk 2019 Club Brugge Antwerp Genk Atalanta 2020 Antwerp Beerschot Genk 2021 Genk Club Brugge Club Brugge 2022 Club Brugge Union SGClub Brugge Genk 2023 Antwerp Union SG Union SG 2024 Club Brugge Union SG Al Qadsiah Anderlecht 2025 Club Brugge AC Milan Club Brugge Club Brugge
Breakdown of winners
Multiple winners CountryNumber of winsNumber of second placesNumber of third places Paul Van Himst Jan Ceulemans Hans Vanaken Wilfried Van Moer Franky Van der Elst Mbark Boussoufa Pär Zetterberg Jef Jurion Michel Preud'homme
By nationality CountryNumber of winsWinning yearsNumber of second placesNumber of third places Belgium 1954–1974, 1977–1992, 1994, 1996, 1998–1999, 2001–2002, 2004, 2007–2008, 2013–2015, 2018–2019, 2022–2024 Netherlands 1975–1976, 2017 Sweden 1993, 1997 Morocco 2006, 2010 Democratic Republic of the Congo 2012 Czech Republic 2000 Serbia 2009 Argentina 2011 Australia 1995 Nigeria 2021 Switzerland 2025 Ivory Coast 2003 Portugal 2005 Colombia 2016 Israel 2020 Spain Denmark Germany Austria Brazil Burundi Egypt Guinea Poland Croatia Romania Algeria Ukraine Greece
Secondary awards
YearBest Belgian AbroadBest CoachBest GoalkeeperBest Youngster (U23)Most beautiful goalWinnerClubWinnerClubWinnerClubWinnerClubWinner (opponent)Club 2000 Schalke 04not awardednot awardednot awardednot awarded 2001 Willem II 2002 Schalke 04 2003not awarded 2004 2005 2006 vs. Brussels Anderlecht 2007 vs. Cercle Brugge Genk 2008 Everton vs. Gent Germinal Beerschot 2009 Arsenal vs. Standard Liège Germinal Beerschot 2010 Manchester City vs. Genk Lierse 2011not awarded vs. Club Brugge Lokeren 2012 vs. Gent Kortrijk 2013 Atlético Madrid Zulte Waregem Anderlecht Zulte Waregem vs. Kortrijk Genk 2014 Atlético Madrid Chelsea Anderlecht Club Brugge Anderlecht vs. Anderlecht Club Brugge 2015 Wolfsburg Manchester City Gent Gent Anderlecht vs. Standard Liège Gent 2016 Manchester City Club Brugge Club Brugge Genk vs. Club Brugge Genk 2017 Chelsea Charleroi Gent EupenAnderlecht vs. Oostende Antwerp 2018 Chelsea Club Brugge Gent Club Brugge vs. Antwerp Club Brugge 2019 Chelsea Real Madrid GenkClub Brugge Club Brugge Anderlecht vs. Gent Club Brugge 2020 Inter Milan Club Brugge Club Brugge Club Brugge vs. Anderlecht Club Brugge 2021 Inter Milan Chelsea Union SG Club Brugge Club Brugge vs. Waasland-Beveren Club Brugge 2022 Manchester City MechelenGenk Club Brugge Genk vs. Antwerp Genk 2023 Manchester City Antwerp Antwerp Antwerp vs. Genk Antwerp 2024 Atalanta Club Brugge Club Brugge Genk Leicester City vs. Club Brugge Westerlo 2025 Napoli Union SG Anderlecht Anderlecht vs. Dender EH Club Brugge
Golden Shoe of the 20th Century The Golden Shoe of the Century is a football trophy awarded by the Royal Belgian Football Association in 1995. The award was presented in honor of the 100th anniversary of the RBFA. Paul Van Himst, who also won the Golden Shoe four times during his football career, was awarded the trophy. He is considered the best Belgian player of the 20th century. RankWinnerPoints1Paul Van Himst14032Jan Ceulemans11303Wilfried Van Moer8964Rik Coppens6765Michel Preud'homme4606Jean-Marie Pfaff4047Raymond Braine3248Eric Gerets3229Jef Mermans29810Ludo Coeck228
Women While the men's golden shoe award goes to the best player in the Belgian league, irrespective of his nationality, the women's award is targeted at the best Belgian female player, either in Belgium or abroad.
YearWinnerClub(s)SecondClub(s)ThirdClub(s) 2016 Wolfsburg Montpellier Standard Liège 2017 Montpellier Wolfsburg Ajax 2018 Wolfsburg Manchester City Montpellier Ajax Fiorentina 2019 Manchester City Lyon Anderlecht 2020 Anderlecht Manchester CityAnderlecht GentAnderlecht 2021 Lyon Anderlecht Anderlecht Hoffenheim 2022 GentOH Leuven Anderlecht Fortuna Sittard OH Leuven 2023 Fortuna Sittard OH Leuven Lyon Leicester City 2024 Fortuna Sittard Inter Milan OH Leuven Inter Milan OH Leuven Leicester City 2025 Inter Milan Standard Liège Nantes OH Leuven Union Berlin
References
Golden Shoe – Royal Belgian Football Association Belgium - Player of the Year Awards – Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation