Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ crashed out at the quarter-final stage of both the 2014 World Cup – the country’s first major tournament in 12 years – and Euro 2016. Can they go one, two or even three steps further in Russia?
The appointment of Roberto Martínez as head coach two years ago took many by surprise, and his tenure has not been without criticism, but the Spaniard has now gone 19 matches unbeaten with the team. They cruised through qualifying, dropping just two points and scoring 43 goals. And, as everyone who follows football – especially in England, where many of them are based – knows, they have a seriously talented pool of players.
But can Hazard, De Bruyne, Lukaku and co deliver on the big stage? That’s the big question. Anything less than a semi-final placing – which they managed at the 1986 World Cup, the country’s best-ever performance – will be considered a disappointment.
Belgium are the only European squad in Russia with a collective tally of more than a thousand international caps. That is just one fascinating fact that has emerged from my research of the 23 players who will be carrying the hopes of a nation this summer. Many more can be found below.
I have been compiling similar information on the other 13 European teams in the build-up to the Big Kick-off on Thursday, June 14. The other surveys are all now on the site.
Here is the Belgium squad with the players’ current club, caps and goals (following the May 28 friendly v Tunisia):
Goalkeepers
Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg, 0/0), Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea, 58/0), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool, 21/0)
Defenders
Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur, 77/3), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic, 7/0), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City, 77/4), Thomas Meunier (Paris-SG, 25/5), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona, 66/1), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur, 102/8)
Midfielders
Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang, 26/5), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, 62/14), Mousa Dembélé (Tottenham Hotspur, 76/5), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht, 5/0), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United, 82/17), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Mönchengladbach, 11/1), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad, 8/0), Youri Tielemans (Monaco, 9/0), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian, 90/9)
Forwards
Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion, 45/5), Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea, 16/7), Eden Hazard (Chelsea, 86/22), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United, 69/36), Dries Mertens (Napoli, 69/14)
The total number of international caps gained by the 23 players is 1087. The number of caps gained in competitive fixtures (i.e. World Cup and Euro and matches) is 600. The number of caps gained at final tournaments is 111. The number of caps gained at the World Cup finals is 53.
The total number of international goals scored by the 23 players is 156. The number of goals scored in competitive fixtures is 96. The number of goals scored at final tournaments is 12. The number of goals scored at the World Cup finals is 5.
The number of players in the squad appearing at their first final tournament is 5. The number of players appearing at their first World Cup is 8.
There are 15 survivors from the Euro 2016 squad: Courtois, Mignolet, Alderweireld, Meunier, Vermaelen, Vertonghen, Carrasco, De Bruyne, Dembélé, Fellaini, Witsel, Batshuayi, E. Hazard, Lukaku and Mertens.
There are also 15 survivors from the 2014 World Cup squad: Courtois, Mignolet, Alderweireld, Kompany, Vermaelen, Vertonghen, Chadli, De Bruyne, Dembélé, Fellaini, Januzaj, Witsel, E. Hazard, Lukaku and Mertens.
Twelve players will be taking part in their third final tournament: Courtois, Mignolet, Alderweireld, Vermaelen, Vertonghen, De Bruyne, Dembélé, Fellaini, Witsel, E. Hazard, Lukaku and Mertens.
Courtois, Eden Hazard and Mertens have played the most final tournament matches: ten (five at the World Cup, five at the Euro). Alderweireld, Vertonghen, De Bruyne, Witsel and Lukaku have appeared in nine.
Although Mignolet has been to two final tournaments, he has yet to make an appearance.
The uncapped Casteels is the only squad member who has never played in a competitive international.
Twelve players have appeared in over 25 competitive internationals. Their records are as follows:
Vertonghen – Pld 61 W39 D10 L12 (of which at final tournaments Pld 9 W7 D0 L2)
Fellaini – Pld 50 W28 D8 L14 (Pld 8 W5 D0 L3)
Witsel – Pld 49 W33 D8 L8 (Pld 9 W6 D0 L3)
E. Hazard – Pld 49 W31 D7 L11 (Pld 10 W7 D0 L3)
Kompany – Pld 46 W25 D10 L11 (Pld 4 W3 D0 L1)
Alderweireld – Pld 43 W29 D7 L7 (Pld 9 W6 D0 L3)
Dembélé – Pld 40 W23 D7 L10 (Pld 3 W3 D0 L0)
Courtois – Pld 38 W29 D5 L4 (Pld 10 W7 D0 L3)
Mertens – Pld 37 W26 D6 L5 (Pld 10 W7 D0 L3)
De Bruyne – Pld 36 W28 D4 L4 (Pld 9 W6 D0 L3)
Vermaelen – Pld 36 W18 D6 L12 (Pld 5 W4 D0 L1)
Lukaku – Pld 32 W20 D5 L7 (Pld 9 W6 D0 L3)
Dembélé has won all three of his final tournament matches – two at the World Cup, one at the Euro.
Five players in the squad are undefeated in competitive internationals: Tielemans (W4 D0), Dendoncker (W3 D0), T. Hazard (W2 D0), Januzaj (W1 D1) and Boyata (W1 D0).
A further three players are undefeated in World Cup matches: Carrasco (W8 D1), Meunier (W8 D0) and Batshuayi (W5 D0).
Lukaku is the squad’s leading scorer in competitive internationals, with 16 goals, one more than Eden Hazard. Two other players – De Bruyne and Fellaini – have ten.
Lukaku has scored 14 World Cup goals, 13 of them in 12 qualifying matches. In contrast, he has never scored in 11 Euro qualifiers.
Eden Hazard’s 15 goals in competitive internationals have all come in victories – as have the nine of Mertens and the five apiece of Meunier, Vertonghen and Witsel. Furthermore, Belgium have never lost a competitive match in which either Lukaku or De Bruyne has scored.
Dembélé has gone 57 internationals without scoring – a barren run that began in March 2009.
Lukaku has scored the most goals in final tournaments – three. No other squad member has managed more than one, although nine of them have struck on a single occasion.
Courtois and Vertonghen were the only players to start all ten of Belgium’s 2018 World Cup qualifiers, the two of them completing the 90 minutes in every game. Alderweireld and Carrasco started nine matches.
Lukaku was Belgium’s top marksman in 2018 World Cup qualifying, scoring 11 of the team’s 43 goals. Next in the list was Eden Hazard with six goals followed by Meunier and Mertens with five apiece.
Three hat-tricks were scored in the qualifying campaign – all against Gibraltar. The non-selected Christian Benteke scored the first of them, in the away fixture (6-0), with Meunier and Lukaku both bagging trebles in the home game (9-0).
Mertens came off the bench to score the only goal of the game, an 89th-minute winner, when Belgium defeated Group G opponents Tunisia 1-0 in a pre-2014 World Cup friendly. Courtois, Alderweireld, Kompany, Vertonghen, Fellaini and Eden Hazard started that game in Brussels, with Witsel, Januzaj, Chadli and Lukaku, like Mertens, appearing as substitutes.
There are ten survivors from the Belgium side that lost 1-0 to England in the countries’ last meeting, a pre-Euro 2012 friendly at Wembley. Mignolet, Vermaelen, Vertonghen, Dembélé, Fellaini, Witsel, Eden Hazard and Mertens all started the game, with Chadli and Lukaku coming off the bench.
No player in the squad has ever faced Panama.
Anderlecht’s Dendoncker is the only home-based player in the squad.
Twelve of the players operate across the North Sea in England, including three apiece from London clubs Chelsea and Tottenham and two each from Manchester City and Manchester United. There are no more than two players based in any other country.
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