Do you know who Belgium’s best ambassador is?

In June, a Facebook survey was launched to find out ‘Who is the most famous Belgian?’.

Belgium’s reporter may have won the title, but champion cyclist Eddy Merckx was not far behind. The fact that this year’s Tour de France started in Brussels undoubtedly affected the ranking, which placed singer Jacques Brel in third place.

An analysis of the results reveals that current events influence the collective unconscious. So it is only natural that the most frequently mentioned sportspeople include Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Nafissatou Thiam. Stromae and Angèle ousted Adamo and Annie Cordy in the field of entertainment. The list also included film stars such as Audrey Hepburn, Benoît Poelvoorde and François Damiens.

Of course, famous names such as Bruegel, Rubens, Adolphe Sax, Victor Horta and Magritte will always be associated with Belgium.