The Red Devils have qualified for a major tournament for the sixth consecutive time. However, the 2024 European Championship will be the first final round since the much-discussed generational change was initiated. During the past year, several permanent employees resigned.
After the disappointing 2022 World Cup, it was captain Eden Hazard who was the first to end his international career. The 32-year-old has now also permanently retired as a professional footballer. His example was soon followed at the Devils by Simon Mignolet and eventually Toby Alderweireld.
And after national coach Domenico Tedesco announced his first selections, two more internationals called it a day. In addition to Nacer Chadli, Axel Witsel also decided to thank international football. In less than a year, a total of more than 480 caps of experience were lost.
Lots of talent, no prizes
So there is not much left of the so-called ‘Golden Generation’. In the previous years, other big names such as Vincent Kompany, Mousa Dembélé, Marouane Fellaini, Steven Defour and Thomas Vermaelen had also ended their (international) careers.
It remains a shame that this group was never able to win a main prize. “Our moment was at the 2018 World Cup. Then we reached a very high level, but then it became more difficult,” says Witsel at the Spanish AS. “If you want to win a title you can have the top scorer or the best selection, but the team is always more important.”
From Bruyne to Hazard
The lack of a major prize does not alter the fact that Belgium has been able to count on an unprecedented collection of talent in the past decade. Witsel had to blow his breath when he was asked who was the very best of this group. “Oh, la, la, la. That’s difficult,” he says. “We have a lot of top players, but I say Eden Hazard. And Kevin De Bruyne.”
2023-10-15 11:13:00
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