OSN World Cup Primer 3 – Belgium

The small group of elite teams expected to advance into the late stages of the World Cup aren’t surprising, they’re favorites that make a strong showing every four years, from countries with a basic, ungovernable, insatiable love of the game.

It’s more or less a kind of cultural birthright for Brazil to make a run of it: the last time they failed to get to the quarterfinals or better was 1990, 2 years before the birth of their current superstar Neymar. There’s Spain, who are aging but have been the best in the world for nearly a decade, and whose 2010 World Cup victory was bookended by an unprecedented pair of Euro wins. Argentina have the world’s best player in Lionel Messi, and a roster of attacking mega-stars so deep it seems like they might win the whole thing by accident (well, their attacking roster reads like that- defense not so much). And then there’s Germany, perennially good, and normally the kind of methodical winners that irritate neutrals but who are in the midst of an incredible upsurge of talent, and are strong in almost every position.

These are the big dogs, the teams automatically spotlighted. France, Italy, and the Netherlands hover on the margins, possibly riding the fumes of former triumph, possibly on the verge of a breakthrough: teams nobody will discount, but which don’t currently command the respect the others do. Beyond this tier there’s a dark horse: Belgium.

Belgium, in case you were unaware, is a tiny country known (unfairly, I presume) for being remarkably dull. You wouldn’t think that such a small place, comprised mainly of EU bureaucrats and large waffles, would produce an elite soccer squad, and you’d be at least partly right: they failed to qualify for the last two tournaments. However, there’s a Belgian golden generation of players, and they appear to be coming of age now. Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Roma, Napoli, Tottenham, and Everton’s first teams all include Belgians. They have one of the very best young goalkeepers in the world in Thibaud Courtois, a great center back and experienced captain in Vincent Kompany, a young star midfielder in Eden Hazard, and the promising striker Romelu Lukaku, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Key Players

Romelu Lukaku- Tall, extremely strong, good on the ball, and intelligent in his movement, Lukaku is a striker capable of both out-muscling and out-maneuvering defenders. He’s been phenomenal this season for English club Everton, where he’s on loan from ultra-rich Chelsea. His youth sometimes is still evident in his play, but he works extremely hard, is unselfish, and wears his passion for the game openly.

Eden Hazard- Hazard is a tricky, creative midfielder, with a low center of gravity that allows him to turn quickly. He’s Chelsea’s leading goalscorer this season. He won Ligue 1 with Lille before transferring to the London club for an astronomical fee and huge wages. Jose Mourinho, his manager, called him “probably the best young player in the world.” Not that you can trust anything Mourinho says.

Vincent Kompany- Kompany is captain and center back for Manchester City, with whom he won the English Premier League two years ago, a feat which he might very well repeat this year. Kompany is strong, calm, and composed, and has exactly the sort of character you need in central defense. In interviews he actually seems like a nice and relatively thoughtful guy, which is not common among professional footballers. On the other hand, he looks a bit like a Martian Mr. Clean.

Thibaud Courtois- Another player on loan from Chelsea, Courtois has been a revelation in goal at Atletico Madrid. Goalkeepers generally peak at a significantly older age than other positions, but Courtois is only 21 and is frighteningly good. He’s also gigantic.

Storyline

There’s nothing like a dark horse, and if Belgium progress with style, that’s what we’ll hear, they’ll be the quiet contenders despite the fact that the team is stuffed with famous players. They definitely should advance beyond the group stage, where they’re up against Algeria, Russia, and Korea. Both Russia and Korea could give them a run for the money, but Belgium should be on top.

Beyond the group stage, a lot will depend on how well their defense gels. Their options in midfield border on the obscene- in addition to Hazard, they have Zenit St. Petersburg’s Axel Witsel, Napoli’s Dries Mertens, United’s Marouane Fellaini, Wolfsburg’s Kevin De Bruyne, and Everton’s Kevin Mirallas. So there’s plenty of attacking heft. They were dealt a blow when striker Christian Benteke recently tore his ACL, and don’t have much depth beyond Lukaku, but their goalscoring midfielders should provide ample cover.

It’s truly strange how much talent Belgium has- what sense of proportion is at work here? What was this generation of kids fed for breakfast? How long will it be until another similarly gifted Belgian cohort come along? Fifty years? One hundred? It’s possible that the basic anomalous quality of this group of players will be a sort of extra accelerator, a unique motivation. They’ve got to feel special. They’ve got to feel weird. Their country won’t have many chances like this.