Any time a major tournament rolls around in recent years, Belgium are named as one of the top favourites to pick up their first major tournament win. They had a great World Cup in 2018, and were very close to progression in the last Euros – losing a shock quarter-final to Wales. They’ll be confident of their abilities to get through the group stage at Euro 2020 against Russia, Denmark and Finland.
Key Players
Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard struggled with injuries in Spain this year, but he made the cut for Roberto Martinez’s 26-man squad and will likely play alongside Premier League winner Kevin De Bruyne and star striker Romelu Lukaku in the attacking line for his country at the tournament. Unfortunately Liverpool striker Divock Origi and VfL Wolfsburg goalkeeper Koen Casteeles couldn’t make the standby list due to poor standing with the manager and injuries.
Speaking about Hazard’s inclusion, boss Roberto Martinez said: “The situation with Eden Hazard is we’ve been really close and we know exactly where he is. I think the medical condition is the best moment Eden’s had for a long, long time and we’re very pleased with that.
“I think his level of fitness is really satisfactory, and it’s important that [Hazard] finished the season strongly with Real Madrid. From here we’re very much delighted that the last few weeks he’s had a real good medical level, he looks a player who can be back to his very best in the next few weeks. We always look back on how important Eden Hazard is for the national team. He’s our captain and the way that he performs in our environment is essential and is vital.”
We’ve got Belgium at 6/1 to win the tournament outright, which is closer than the previous winners Portugal, and teams with experience in big finals like Italy and Spain. It would be something of an upset as the nation is not a footballing powerhouse, but they have fallen into having something of a golden generation in recent years with a whole squad full of world class players in every position.
Expect a big tournament from Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne, who will be putting in a captain’s shift despite the fact that Hazard will probably wear the armband. He’s one of the absolute best players in the world, and with a goalscoring ability of his own that is complemented beautifully by his passing game, the Belgian frontline can expert to have a lot of chances at goal this year.
Martinez has been great for Belgium, but he could end up being a bit of a distraction ahead of a massive few weeks for football in the country. Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur are both in the market for a new manager, and he is being floated as a possible replacement for Ronald Koeman and Jose Mourinho respectively. The former Everton boss took over the job in 2016, and has been impressive at managing the egos and reputations of big star players on the international stage.
So, can Belgium win Euro 2020? They definitely have the players, the system and the manager to do it. But do they have the minerals at this top level? They have some true winners like Hazard and De Bruyne in their team, but they have choked when it gets to the knockout stages before and it remains to be seen if they can get the results when the chips are down.
Belgium Squad for Euro 2020:
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Simon Mignolet (Club Brugge), Matz Sels (Racing Strasbourg)
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur), Dedryck Boyata (Hertha Berlin), Timothy Castagne (Leicester City), Jason Denayer (Olympique Lyonnais), Thomas Meunier (Borussia Dortmund), Thomas Vermaelen (Vissel Kobe), Jan Vertonghen (Benfica)
Midfielders: Nacer Chadli (Istanbul Basaksehir), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Leander Dendoncker (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Thorgan Hazard and Axel Witsel (both Borussia Dortmund), Dennis Praet and Youri Tielemans (both Leicester City, Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge)
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi and Christian Benteke (both Crystal Palace), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid), Jeremy Doku (Stade Rennes), Eden Hazard (Real Madrid), Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Leandro Trossard (Brighton & Hove Albion)
