Ten long years have passed since the European nation of Belgium last played in a major international tournament. They were once regulars and boasted strong teams. However, after an abysmal decade, the “Red Devils” appear to be in a serious dispute for a place in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and have a squad packed to the brim with exciting young talent.
The most dazzling of these players is Eden Hazard. After establishing himself as a star in France’s Ligue 1 Lille, Hazard moved to Chelsea last summer and has emerged as a brilliant young player. The winger has great speed and a touch of the ball that terrifies defenders. In just seven EPL games this year, Hazard has already posted 6 assists and scored 2 goals. He has also received penalties fouls on several occasions. At just 21 years old, the sky’s the limit for this wonderful playmaker.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Belgium have a group of young and fearsome forwards in Romelu Lukaku and Christian Benteke. Lukaku is a Chelsea player on loan at West Bromwich and has scored several important goals for the club. He’s a large physical presence that many in London hope will resemble Chelsea striker Didier Drogba. Benteke is also a big and strong forward and recently moved to Aston Villa. He has already opened his scoring account there and also scored the first goal in Belgium’s 3-0 win in Serbia last weekend. A third striker in Kevin Mirallas is very capable: he also scored for Serbia, and now plays for Everton after leading the Greek league in scoring at Olympiakos.
Another vital Everton player for Belgium is Marouane Fellaini. The huge midfielder with a big afro has had a great physical presence in midfield. In addition, he has a wonderful ability to score occasional goals, such as his triumph with Everton when they beat Manchester United on the opening day of the league.
Defensively, Belgium is also brimming with talent. Center-backs Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen, both captains of elite Premier League clubs in Manchester City and Arsenal. Jan Vertonghen is another great defender and recently signed with Tottenham.
What makes this team so exciting for now is that almost all of these players are under the age of 25. They are all growing up together and are just starting their careers in big clubs. Coach Marc Wilmots must be licking his ribs in preparation for what could be the best football feast Belgium has ever enjoyed. Their 2014 World Cup qualifying group is winnable for the team with only Croatia and Serbia as main threats, and they have started the group well, beating Serbia and Wales and drawing with Croatia. Next time he will play Scotland and will surely be aiming for three points.
Marc Wilmots was captain the last time Belgium was in a World Cup in 2002, and is now their coach. Hopefully he can help create some magic within this team because with talent alone, they could be a huge threat to any team seeking World Cup glory in Brazil.