In football, the term ‘golden generation’ conjures up a specific image. A once-in-a-generation collection of talent for a particular country, all coming on the scene and flourishing at the same time. In recent years, England of the early 2000s, Ivory Coast a little later that decade, and even Mexico after the 2012 Olympics have been dubbed golden generations. But the one thing they all had in common was failing to live up to the promise of what was expected.
Will the same happen to Belgium’s Golden Generation? Belgium’s current crop of talent are unique considering that Belgium has never been a footballing power like England or a continental power like Ivory Coast. The country hadn’t even qualified for a World Cup finals since 2002 before they strolled through qualification in 2014.
Belgium’s current generation certainly has the talent to go far. They are the clear favorites to top group H, which also features Russia, South Korea and Algeria; squads that on paper shouldn’t worry Belgium too much. Eden Hazard was one of the best players in the Premier League last season. Thibaut Courtois was arguably the best goalkeeper in the world this season; Romelu Lukaku banged in 15 goals despite missing time with injury, and his Everton teammate Kevin Mirallas chipped in with eight in guiding the Blues to an unexpected 5th place finish.
At the back Wilmots has Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany, Tottenham Hotspur man Jan Vertonghen amongst others at his disposal. We can clearly see that Belgians are making an impact all around Europe’s top five leagues, in every part of the football pitch whether it’s at the back, in midfield, or offensively.
The squad even has the appropriate coach, Belgian legend Marc Wilmots. Wilmots is the country’s all-time leading World Cup scorer, and seemingly the right figurehead to lead the current group of stars. Belgian sports writer and author Joost Houtman said in an exclusive interview with ForzaItalianFootball that with Wilmots at the helm, it was ‘impossible’ not to support the Belgian national team due to the extensive marketing campaigns.
The intriguing thing in this generation is that there is an equality between them. Wilmots even said that even Eden Hazard is unsure of a starting place. Despite reaching the level of stardom, most of them work for the team and fight for the shirt. Houtman also said that Belgians like players who fight and work hard.
As mentioned, the Golden Generation’s achilles’ heel is experience. None of these players have played in the World Cup finals, though many have lifted domestic league titles and advanced deep in the Champions League. Even Wilmots has little managing experience beyond coaching the national team. However, expectations are really high. Some pundits believe that this side will surpass the national team’s fourth place finish in 1986.
Will Belgium’s Golden Generation exceed expectations, or will the weight of a nation’s hopes prove too heavy?
