You won’t find any blues in Belgium red.
Rudy Garcia’s rhetoric lacked subtlety. “I reminded everyone to be proud of our World Cup run.”
There was no pain behind Axel Witsel’s reputation. “Proud of the way he played.”
There was no mistaking the confidence of captain Yuri Tielemans. “We gave it our all. I’m sure the country will be proud of us.”
Can’t believe these words were spoken after a Belgian victory due to an abundance of pride. They weren’t. It came shortly after a 2-1 quarter-final loss to Spain.
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Can Belgium really be content with defeat in a game that leaves little room for subtlety? Yes, Garcia’s men were up against the reigning European champions, but they are also Belgium. is at number eight. A former semi-finalist. They are no strangers to football’s biggest stages.
But that was once.
When Spain won the World Cup in 2010, Belgium didn’t even qualify. They were thumped 5-0 by the same opponents during the qualifiers. Spain won the Euros two years later. Belgium once again failed to qualify. On that occasion, they drew against Azerbaijan in the qualifiers.
This was one of the reasons why Mark Wilmots took over as manager of the national team. He was tired of pretending to be neutral when commentating on a tournament his country never reached. Vincent Kompany watched every World Cup and Euro because he loved football, and yet, Belgium was never there so he hated every minute of it.
Kevin De Bruyne grew up idolizing England’s Michael Owen. Thibaut Courtois’ favorite was Spain’s Iker Casillas. No player has charmed Axel Witsel like France’s Zinedine Zidane, while Romelu Lukaku can only dream of scoring goals like Brazil’s Ronaldo. A lack of Belgian heroes forced Belgian heroes to look elsewhere.
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On Friday, Belgium football’s most glorious chapter came to an end. The curtain fell on a golden generation that lifted the country from 68th in the FIFA rankings nine years later with a 5-0 humiliation by Spain. There were no grand celebrations, no poetic justice, just a quiet acceptance that their time had passed.
The golden generation of Belgian hockey won one Olympic gold, one World Cup, one European Championship and two FIH Pro League titles. But not De Bruynes and Lukakus. But they leave with something bigger – a sense of belonging.
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Although they won nothing, Belgium’s golden generation did win something
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Belgium have had teams that punched above their weight, but were never blessed with talent.
They didn’t mean to. A nation of just 11.8 million people – just two million more than London, less than the population of Ile-de-France and barely a fifth of Spain. There are only 33 clubs in its professional pyramid; England have 92.
Then there were reforms in 2006. Government funded football schools emerged. De Bruynes and Courtois were brought up here. While Brazil debated how to stem the exodus of teenage talent from Europe’s elite, Belgium embraced it. A small nation like theirs can afford to keep the best talent at home and stunt their growth. Only three players in Belgium’s current squad represent domestic clubs. In 2002, there were 15.
The plan worked. At the 2018 World Cup, there was hardly a team more feared than Belgium. Only France has won 1-0 in the semi-final in history. Not that Belgium had 64 per cent of possession or completed 539 passes to France’s 287. Thomas Meunier, who shackled Neymar in the quarter-finals, was suspended.
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As in Inglewood, context drove results. It didn’t matter that Belgium’s best player of the tournament, Youri Tielemans, who covered the most distance of any player – was injured during practice. Or his midfield partner, Amado Onana, nursing an ACL injury. Or that number one goalkeeper Courtois was injured during the game and a mistake by his inexperienced deputy, Seine Lamens, led to Mikel Merino winning. Or De Bruyne also had to be substituted due to discomfort in his leg.
It didn’t matter. Only Spain passed.
Addressing questions after the game, García whispered, perhaps more as a self-revelation than a statement to reporters: “There’s nothing to be ashamed of for the defeat, because we were looking Spain in the eye. But I’m disappointed for those for whom this was probably the last World Cup. They didn’t deserve more from our side.
Then again, football, like life, is rarely fair. And yet, both have a curious way of rewarding the underdog.
Belgium’s golden generation didn’t win a single cup, but won the relevance the country longed for.