The moments of the year of the editorial ‘: when Kevin De Bruyne put Belgium back on the ground – foot national
Until December 31, the editorial staff of Sport / Foot Magazine will return to a major sporting event of the year 2021. For this last day, we remember the moment when King Kevin put Belgium of football in its place with an observation limpid.
Do you remember ? When the Red devils having to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil, a frenzy has invaded the country. The Belgian football team suddenly became very popular, and this few years at the national court it did not participate in any major tournament.
From now on, it is not enough to participate. While we were still rookies at the World Cup in Brazil, we were counted among the (shadow) favorites in the last championships. And it was not only the press that raised the pressure, the Red Devils themselves have set the bar very high. “We will look for the title”, that was the message on everyone’s lips before the 2018 World Cup and EURO 2020.
But the Red Devils have never lived up to their role of favorite. With the exception of the World Cup in Russia, they have always fallen in the quarterfinals. This was also the case during the last Euro, when Italy beat the Belgians in all areas. This was also the case in the final phase of the League of Nations, when Belgium had to lose against France in the semi-final before falling again to Italy in the small final (of consolation).
Would the devils’ madness be over after seven years? It appears to be the case, as the last-ditch tournament appears to have been played this year. Although the Red Devils themselves still believe in their chances. “We still have it, but so are you?” “, asked Yannick Carrasco to the press after the lost match against France in early October.
But the one who put our country back on the ground even more is certainly one of our spearheads:Kevin De Bruyne. After the game against Italy, the redhead said we shouldn’t expect Belgium to beat everyone. “We’re just Belgium, with all due respect. We have to be realistic with the squad we have. Italy and France have 22 top players, not us. We have to be honest about it. this subject.”, explained the one who is also the playing master of Manchester City.
Couldn’t we be dreaming of a trophy all this time? The Red Devils did they believe in their chances? Should we, as Belgians, be content with an outsider role after all these years of sporting excess? Maybe KDB’s statement sounds a bit like Belgium Syndrome. We don’t have the mentality of a real winner and we certainly don’t have the big neck. You will never hear such a declaration from the mouth of a Dutchman, for example, who has only 6 million inhabitants more than our small kingdom.
But those who will be the future of Belgian football disagree with De Bruyne’s statement. The captain of the Espoirs, Amadou Onana, told Sport / Foot Magazine the following: “When we play a game against France or England with the national youth team, we don’t feel inferior. It’s normal, because I grew up with a Belgian national team which is at the top. Not even imagine ourselves becoming a mediocre team again. “
It will soon be up to this generation to show that we are not “only” Belgium. And who knows, maybe there will be some new enthusiasm overflowing around the national team. We can only hope so.
Do you remember ? When the Red Devils qualified for the World Cup in Brazil, a frenzy engulfed the country. The Belgian football team suddenly became very popular, and a few dark years at the national level it did not participate in any major tournament, now it would not be enough to participate. While we were still rookies at the World Cup in Brazil, we were counted among the (shadow) favorites in the last championships. And it was not only the press that raised the pressure, the Red Devils themselves have set the bar very high. “We are going to seek the title” was the message on everyone’s lips ahead of the 2018 World Cup and EURO 2020. But the Red Devils have never lived up to their role as favorites. With the exception of the World Cup in Russia, they have always fallen in the quarterfinals. This was also the case during the last Euro, when Italy beat the Belgians in all areas. This was also the case in the final phase of the League of Nations, when Belgium had to lose against France in the semi-final before falling again to Italy in the small final (of consolation). Would the devils’ madness be over after seven years? It appears to be the case, as the last-ditch tournament appears to have been played this year. Although the Red Devils themselves still believe in their chances. “We still have it there, but you too?” Yannick Carrasco asked the press after the game lost against France in early October. But the one who has put our country even more firmly on the ground, it is certainly one of our spearheads: Kevin De Bruyne. After the game against Italy, the redhead said we shouldn’t expect Belgium to beat everyone. “We’re just Belgium, with all due respect. We have to be realistic with the squad we have. Italy and France have 22 top players, not us. We have to be honest about it. this subject. “, explained the one who is also the playing master of Manchester City. Couldn’t we be dreaming of a trophy all this time? Did the Red Devils believe in their chances? Should we, as Belgians, be content with an outsider role after all these years of sporting excess? Maybe KDB’s statement sounds a bit like Belgium Syndrome. We don’t have the mentality of a real winner and we certainly don’t have the big neck. You will never hear such a declaration from the mouth of a Dutchman, for example, who has only 6 million inhabitants more than our small kingdom. But those who will be the future of Belgian football disagree with De Bruyne’s statement. Espoirs captain Amadou Onana told Sport / Foot Magazine: “When we play a game against France or England with the national youth team, we don’t feel inferior. Normal, because I grew up with a Belgian national team which is at the top. I cannot even imagine ourselves becoming a mediocre team again. ” It will soon be up to this generation to show that we are not “only” Belgium. And who knows, maybe there will be some new enthusiasm overflowing around the national team. We can only hope so.