This should be the European Championship of Loïs Openda (23). After a dream season full of goals at Lens looking for equal success with the Belgian promises. As the top scorer of the selection, but also as a talisman. A story full of mutual love from Georgia.
“Lois is coming with us.”
A week ago Jacky Mathijssen smiled screen wide during a digital press moment about the upcoming European Championship. The Belgian national coach sometimes comes across as a bit grumpy to those who don’t know him – don’t you, Dutch colleagues? – but one subject invariably makes him beam.
The presence of Loïs Openda in Georgia.
Don’t blame Mathijssen…
In a selection that is not overflowing with accurate players, Openda is an extreme outlier. Seven times in the qualifying campaign and a whopping 21 goals for Lens this season – no other player at the European Championship has scored more.
To give you an idea: only Romelu Lukaku (at Inter), Dries Mertens (at Napoli) and Eden Hazard (at Lille) have ever reached the mark of twenty in a major competition as a Belgian.
Special punishment.
Star status
It ensures that Openda will soon be one of the major eye-catchers at the European Championship.
The striker appears in almost every international list of potential stars. “A golden generation has come to an end in Belgium, but Openda will quietly want to inspire a new one,” writes The Athletic in its preview.
The Dutch national coach admitted that he cursed when the sniper decided to go to the European Championship.
A nice compliment from a trainer who has international top defenders.
European Championship players with the most goals this season
1. Loïs Openda (Lens) 21 goals 2. Elya Wahi (Montpellier) 19 goals 3. Oleksij Kashchuk (Sabah) 16 goals 4. Amine Gouiri (Rennes) 15 goals 5. Matija Frigan (Rijeka) 14 goals
Although the Liège native shrugged his shoulders yesterday afternoon when we confronted him with his enormous prestige at this tournament.
“Because I don’t feel like a star at all,” it sounded modest. “I am no more than anyone else because I come from the A-team, but I just want to help the team as far as possible.”
Next to him, Mathijssen beamed again.
Our national coach also knows that not every player shows such great commitment to the promises as Openda.
However, he too could easily have skipped the European Championship with the particularly long season and an imminent top transfer – to RB Leipzig? – as valid excuses.
Perhaps no one would even blame him. And yet Openda immediately jumped on a plane to Georgia after the international match against Austria. To join his younger teammates early in the morning.
According to Mathijssen, immediately ready to blast later: “In the five years that I have known Loïs, he has never complained about anything.”
The training sessions in Tbilisi also betray enthusiasm. Every finish on target exudes quality and confidence.
Openda with the national coach, who knocked on the table yesterday in the hope that his striker will remain fit.
A thousand reasons
And so Mathijssen not only has a top scorer, but also a talisman that inspires the rest of his selection.
“The fact that Loïs came to the European Championship gives our group something extra”, the trainer also felt.
“Look, this guy had a thousand reasons not to be here and yet he’s here. Then all the other players want to step it up a notch. Loïs is an example in that area – he’s willing to give something back if you showed respect in the past. It does him credit as a footballer and as a person.”
For Openda himself, the decision was actually an obvious one: “We discussed it, the coach and I. I wanted to be with the team and finish what I started two years ago.”
The opposition has been warned.
2023-06-21 10:02:50
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