The rise of the Belgian national football team

However, thanks to the emergence of some young talented players, many of whom were nurtured by clubs like Ajax Amsterdam, Racing Genk and OSC Lille etc., the Belgians have experienced a change in fortunes. Many of these players have now become first team regulars and play for big European clubs, especially those in the lucrative English Premier League. As a matter of fact, a Belgian playing XI can be made entirely from the players playing in the Premier League. The who’s who of Belgian football ply their trade in the Premier League and that list includes Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Moussa Dembele (Tottenham), Christian Benteke (Aston Villa), Mauroune Felliani, Kevin Mirallas (Everton), Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal), Simon Mignolet (Arsenal) and Vincent Kompany (Manchester City). This is not even counting players playing in other European leagues. However, much of this success can be attributed to Georges Leekens, who took over as coach after poor performance under his predecessors. The progress made under him between 2010-12 has been carried forward by Marc Wilmots. The team has almost qualified for the 2014 World Cup and have been in scintillating form in the qualifiers, having amassed 19 out of 21 points so far in their European qualification group. They stand undefeated and on top of their group.

With so many quality players at their disposal, one would expect the Belgians to make it to at least the quarterfinals or possibly semifinals. It is also quite possible that the team may flatter to deceive, and that would be considered a huge failure. However one should realize that the World Cup is contested by the 32 best national teams. It is not a tournament where one can expect to make some mistakes here and there and still survive. A team that is crowned champions of the world is able to do so not on solely their luck but because of their ability to raise their game at the right time. A good example is Spain who became the first team to win a World Cup after losing their first game. Also, at times a strong team may under-perform, because of too much expectations, just like India and Pakistan did at the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Playing in an international event is not only about skills on the field, but also mental toughness. Losing a match that a team is expected to win and the subsequent post-mortem of its performance is demoralizing for any team. How it rises from that point and shuts up all its critics depends on its mental strength. As far as Belgium goes, with their team being so young, they will definitely excel on the field but will need few experienced heads to guide them all along. Moreover, people should not expect too much from them, since this project is not meant for immediate but long term success.

All said and done, the Belgians are definitely strong enough to be considered potential quarterfinalists or semifinalists. For me, they are already into the quarterfinals, but may run into a bigger team at this stage, resulting in their elimination. However, the thought of them going all the way is too far-fetched. Brazil 2014 – not quite there, Russia 2018 – why not?

So everyone, keep an eye on these guys. They may not yet be there, but will be, very soon.