(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
National identity is a hard thing to describe.
Some countries become famous around the globe for the cultural, political or social delights they bring to a wider audience. Other countries are lucky to be known for one or two things—if anything at all.
Marked on those admittedly limited criteria, Belgium undoubtedly falls into the later category. The list of things the European country is famous for is pretty short: chocolate, beer, housing European politics, bordering France...
Basically, the country described by Charles De Gaulle as,“an aberration of history” is rarely a first port of call for tourists visiting Europe.
In sport, the story is similar. Partly due to its size (its population is just under 11 million), Belgium has never been known as a footballing powerhouse. Qualifications for big international competitions have been limited and, on the whole, unsuccessful.
Yet, slightly under the radar, the country is slowly producing a group of young players that look talented enough to make the oft-overlooked country a sizeable player in European and international football.
Not since World Cup ’94, where a squad including legends Michael Preud’homme, Phillipe Albert, and Danny Boffin made it through to the knock-out stages, have prospects been so bright for the Diables Rouges.
On the surface, such an assertion might seem a bit optimistic. At the half-way stage of World Cup qualifying, Belgium lie fourth in their group—adrift of Spain, Turkey, and Bosnia-Herzegovina (whom they have already lost two twice).
They also lack a manager, after Rene Vandereycken was dismissed following the aforementioned two defeats.
As a result, qualification for the big event in South Africa in 2010 looks highly unlikely.
But qualification prospects for future competitions looks more promising.
The fact the country have looked to attract managers of the calibre of Louis Van Gaal and Marseille manager Eric Gerets to replace the departed Vandereycken—without being laughed out of town—indicates the potential of the squad they have, and the attraction it subsequently is beginning to hold for managers.
In England, club managers have already experienced first-hand the quality of Belgium’s young exports. Midfield enforcer Vincent Kompany joined Manchester City in August last year, and the 23-year-old has since been a consistent presence in the engine room of Mark Hughes’ side.
Further south, on Merseyside, Everton’s record signing has made a splash in his first season in the Premiership. Signed for £15m from Standard Liege, Marouane Fellaini has been a huge (both figuratively and, at 6’5”, literally) figure in Everton’s midfield.
“There was a lot of pressure on his shoulders being the club’s record signing and he found it difficult to start with.” said former Toffee Nigel Martyn recently. “But he has got to grips with the Premier League and really shown his worth in recent months. He’s a real handful in the penalty box.”
11 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete