Under the management of Roberto Martínez and captainship of Eden Hazard, Belgium were one of the most talented sides on the international stage in the 2010s. ‘Golden generation’ is not a phrase to be thrown around lightly, but certainly befits a squad that included Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, Mousa Dembélé, Thibaut Courtois… the list goes on. And yet, that era is now ending – if not over already – without silverware. Martínez is gone, as is Hazard, and their last major tournament campaign was one to forget. It led many to ascribe a 2022 date of death to the golden generation, and this summer will certainly be the last chance to shine for several as new manager Domenico Tedesco guides them into a transitional period.
This is everything you need to know about Belgium.
Embed from Getty ImagesFlash back to 2012: in an era of Spanish dominance, Belgium did not even feature at the European Championships. Two years earlier, they had failed to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa, and in 2012 they sat just outside the top 20 of the world rankings. Now fast forward a few years, and their fortunes were absolutely transformed. Under Marc Wilmots they reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 2014, the European Championships in 2016, and in 2018 they were the top-ranked side in the world. Now managed by Roberto Martínez, they travelled to Russia knowing they were in with their best ever chance of global glory. They topped their World Cup group, knockout Japan and Brazil, only to fall victim to a heartbreaking 1-0 loss in the semi final to eventual champions France.
Afterwards, Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard would say they thought that was it: their golden opportunity. With an ageing squad, the 2022 World Cup was not as enticing of a prospect. As De Bruyne bluntly put it: “No chance, we’re too old.”
He was proven right. In what would be Martínez’s last tournament in charge, they crashed out in the group stage – a loss to Morocco and draw with Croatia meant a measly 1-0 win a against Canada was not enough. One solitary goal at a major tournament paled in comparison with their recent history. Afterwards, Martínez left his role, Hazard retired in 2023, and they did not make it to the Nations League finals.
Embed from Getty ImagesNow, only a few of the stars from the 2018 squad remain – all-time top scorer Romelu Lukaku, Jan Vertonghen, Axel Wisel, and of course Kevin de Bruyne. All are over 30; it is almost certainly their last, last chance, and they are under the stewardship of a new face on the international stage to take them there.
As this Belgium team has some big shoes to fill this summer, so too does their coach. Domenico Tedesco succeeds Roberto Martínez, the most successful manager in the nation’s history. The Spaniard stepped down at the end of his contract after their group stage exit in Qatar, leaving Belgium with gaps not only on the pitch but the dugout too. Tedesco was appointed in February 2023 in the aftermath of the World Cup disappointment, one of the most difficult moments for Belgium in their recent footballing history. The highlights of his career so far include a second-placed finish with Bundesliga side Schalke 04 and a run to the semi finals of the Europa League with RB Leipzig, but it’s fair to say that this tournament will be his biggest test yet as a manager – and his contract makes it pretty obvious. His deal runs only until the end of EURO2024, so there is definitely a personal stake for him if he wants to continue managing Belgium through this transitional phase. Tedesco was appointed last year with the explicitly stated task of qualifying Belgium for the EUROs, but it would be remiss to suggest that qualification will hope for from the Red Devils.
So just how good are their chances? Their recent form is strong – they are unbeaten since that World Cup with 8 wins and 4 draws. That includes sides like Germany and England as well as slightly lower-ranked names like Azerbaijan, Montenegro, and so on. Tedesco’s side topped a tough qualifying group that included Austria and Sweden, and were unbeaten with a +18 goal difference (compared to nearest rivals Austria’s +10). In terms of who played a particularly starring role, Lukaku is unsurprisingly up there – the Chelsea loanee scored a hattrick against Sweden, the equaliser against Austria, a brace against Estonia, a staggering four against Azerbaijan – and that’s not even the complete list. He racked up fourteen goals – to put that into context, his closest rival was Marcel Sabitzer with four. Dodi Lukebakio and Leandro Trossard also bagged two each, and a handful of others made it onto the scoresheet, but there is no doubt where Belgium will look for goals this summer.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn their recent warmup games, however, Premier League stars have played a heavy role. Youri Tielemans scored both the Red Devils’ goals against England, while Trossard and De Bruyne also found the net. Again Lukaku has dominated the goalscoring, but he is not the sole star of this side. Trossard finished the season in good form in the Premier League, as did Jérémy Doku who has enjoyed a fantastic breakout season with Manchester City and will now have his first real chance to become a main name of the Belgian squad. There is plenty of talent in the back line too; they only conceded four goals in qualifying thanks to the likes of Thomas Meunier, Wout Faes, and Timothy Castagne. Tedesco has also started thinking ahead to the future of this Belgian side in terms of young talent to bring in. Johan Bakayoko, 21, was given his debut by the coach and comes fresh off the back of an Eredivisie title with PSV and reported interest from Liverpool. Doku is the other obvious up-and-coming prospect to watch. There is no shortage of talent here, but without a doubt they will be looking to their leaders in Lukaku and De Bruyne. With the City man and captain’s recent injury record, his age, and his comments about being open to a move to Saudi Arabia, it will almost certainly be his last chance at international glory. Lukaku, meanwhile, has the best goals-per-cap rate of all this year’s competitors and is also likely to be reaching the end of his career with Belgium. These two titans of their nation are reaching the end of extraordinary careers and their whole nation will be rooting for them to get the silverware they have fallen short of previously.
Embed from Getty ImagesThey are definite favourites to progress from their group which features Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine. All three are well below them in the world rankings. Tedesco’s men open their campaign on 17th June against a Slovakia side who are in their third successive EUROs and will see qualification as achievable. They will then travel to Cologne to face Romania on 22nd June; the Tricolorii stormed through qualifying, but have been less impressive in their pre-tournament friendlies and history does not favour them in terms of making it out of the group stage. However, they are not to be underestimated.
Belgium will hope to have their qualification for the round of 16 done and dusted after those two fixtures by the time that they face Ukraine on 26th June. Of their group opponents, Ukraine are those with the best record at EURO2020, when they progressed to the quarter-finals.
All three of their group opponents should definitely be beatable for Belgium, who (even post-golden generation) have some of the biggest stars in the group. None of Belgium’s group opponents should be underestimated, and all will see the round of 16 as within their grasp. However, all three should be beatable for a Belgium team with one of the most internationally experienced squads at this competition. What might trouble them is what comes next – if they top Group E, as expected, they will face one of the best third-placed teams in the round of 16 and then, at the quarter final stage they are likely to meet the winner of Group D – that could be the likes of France of the Netherlands.
It is the last chance at silverware for what remains of the golden generation, but they will have to overcome some tall hurdles if they are to get there. You can follow their campaign here on FromTheSpot.