It has been called Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ but there is a reason why the country produces such an unusual number of star players. In conversation with Bob Browaeys and Steve Lawrence, Adam Bate discovers how exactly Belgium have managed to do it.
It has become a feature of seminars around the football world. Representatives from Belgium are quizzed about the reasons why a country with a population of just over 11 million people finds itself ranked third in the world behind the giants of Germany and Brazil. They will go to this summer’s World Cup among the favourites to win the whole thing.
Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne are rare talents indeed but Belgium possess a depth to their squad that is the envy of Europe – and that’s just the start of it. The under-21 team is top of its qualifying group and no team won more games at the recent European Under-17 Championships in England. This is not a golden generation, it is a steady stream of talent.