Red Devil Redemption: The revival of the Belgium national football team

When one thinks of European football superpowers we automatically think of countries like Germany, Spain, Italy and the other usual suspects. But in recent times there has been a revival of sorts for one particular country, a country that just around half a decade ago were ranked at a lowly 71^st position in the FIFA rankings.

Nicknamed the Red Devils, Belgium have finally arisen from mediocrity and are ready to take over the football world once again. Having booked their spot in the 2014 FIFA World Cup with a 2-1 win over Croatia the Red Devils are now being touted as potential dark horses to lift the coveted trophy next year in South America. How did this revival come about and who is responsible for it? The answer is simple yet elegant and one that countries like England would do well to abide by.

When we think of Belgium our first thought is that of delicious chocolates and the exciting adventures of Tintin, with the success of the football team in recent times our thinking has changed. It is of interest to note that Belgium in terms of combined transfer fees are the third most valuable team in the world behind Brazil and Portugal. A staggering statistic ,and one that speaks volumes of the talent on display in the squad.

Fans of the English Premier League would be familiar with Belgian footballers as most ply their trade in England. Eden Hazard, Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Verthongen, Dembele, Romelu Lukaku are just some of the stellar names that form part of the Belgian national team. For a country so small to produce a talent pool as vast as what is observed is a phenomenal achievement on the part of the Royal Belgian Football Association.

Things were not always so rosy though. The heyday of the Belgian national team was in the 1980s when the squad finished runners up in the 1980 European Championships and 4^th in the 1986 World Cup. Following that a period of rot set in starting with THAT David Platt goal in Italia ’90 and culminated with an appalling first round exit in the 2000 European Championships, a tournament co-hosted by Belgium and Netherlands.

To stem the rot then Belgian FA technical director Michel Sablon formulated an effective strategy that would lay the groundwork to build a competent side. A 10-year plan was put in motion that entailed providing Belgian clubs a brochure of sorts on how to develop the players.

Additionally, a system was implemented whereby at every level from school upwards a fixed system was employed in terms of formation. A more malleable 4-3-3 system was employed that allowed more ball retention and greater flexibility between players. By introducing the system at the grass roots level it ensured a solid foundation could be built amongst players.

The winds of change took time to unfurl though, as the old adage goes: ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’.

Belgium failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championships and 2010 World Cup. All this while a steady pool of talent was being established from the youth teams. The Under-17 squad reached the final of the European Championships for the first time in Belgian football history, that squad featured the likes of Eden Hazard and Christian Benteke in their ranks.

It was manager George Leekens that handed several key players their debut and his successor Marc Wilmots that has taken the Belgian national side from strength to strength and World Cup qualification.

When Marouane Fellaini was asked about this revival in Belgian football his answer was succinct: a lot of the squad had played together from a youth level. This familiarity had bred camaraderie and good understanding between the players. Only two players are above 30 years of age in the current Belgian squad, a notable fact to be considered.

Alex Ferguson used an effective youth system to build his dynasty upon and more recently Barcelona have La Masia to thank for producing some of the world’s best players. Belgium seem to have hit upon a similar blueprint of success

This bottom-up approach has paid rich dividends for Belgium, the English FA in its bid to shake up the football structure in England could take notes from this approach or else risk having the spectre of 1966 haunting them forever. This rather rudimentary and pragmatic approach is one that should be marvelled at.

A complex solution to a problem is not always what is needed, rather a well thought out elementary one can make all the difference. Only time will tell whether the Red Devils can truly emulate he greatness of the teams in the 80s. This golden generation of Belgian footballers has a mighty burden to bear but judging by their recent form it is one that they bear with panache.