EURO 2024 is the end of the golden generation of the Belgian team
Báo Lao Động•03/07/2024
Despite his best efforts, Kevin De Bruyne still could not help the Belgian teampass the round of 16 of EURO 2024 and may end his international career.
Kevin De Bruyne could not revive a team that had passed its prime. Photo: AFP After the match against Ukraine in the group stage, Kevin De Bruyne was angry at the negative reaction of many home fans. The Man City star did not call on his teammates to show their gratitude to the fans because he clearly understood that it would only have the opposite effect. Belgian fans in the stands felt disappointed with the performance of Domenico Tedesco and his students. They know that this strategist has many excellent players in his hands, but over the years, the "Red Devils" have never brought success, specifically an official title. The golden generation of the Belgian team no longer has players like Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard or Dries Mertens. Although they have been at the top of the FIFA rankings many times, their achievements in major tournaments have only reached the peak of 3rd place at the 2018 World Cup. The Belgian team left the tournament with the shame of being turned away by their own fans. Photo: Belgian Football Federation Ahead of EURO 2024, Tedesco was expected to bring a breath of fresh air to the Belgian team after a 13-match unbeaten streak since taking over. In addition, this tournament could also be the last time fans see De Bruyne or Lukaku wearing the national team shirt. However, things did not go smoothly. In the group stage, Belgium lost to Slovakia on the opening day. Then, they had a hard-fought victory against Romania and a disappointing draw against Ukraine. The most memorable mark of the "Red Devils" was the image of De Bruyne and his teammates being booed by fans for their weak playing attitude. Belgium's top stars like De Bruyne want to continue to contribute to find a title. However, this midfielder will be 34 years old when the 2026 World Cup takes place and will find it difficult to maintain his current form. So if De Bruyne is no longer there, who will carry the "Red Devils" in the coming years? The golden generation of the Belgian national team has continuously failed in major tournaments. Photo: AFP Romelu Lukaku is 31 years old and has never been highly regarded for carrying the team. Lukaku's finishing ability has always been unstable, making him sometimes a burden instead of a carrier. Typically, in the match against France, the Chelsea striker only touched the ball 20 times, had 7 passes, 1 shot, an expected goal index of 0.03 and lost the ball 12 times. Belgium did not score in 3/4 matches in this tournament and Lukaku will have to take responsibility for his lack of luck. As for other faces, Belgium also does not have many stars to rely on like before. Leandro Trossard was dropped from the match against France because he did not leave much impression in the match against Ukraine. Youri Tielemans was also eliminated. Or like Amadou Onana, this midfielder did not show the confidence as the way he teased Kylian Mbappe before the match. For Jeremy Doku, the 22-year-old star still needs a lot of time to mature. Even on a difficult day, Kevin De Bruyne was the one who left the most impression. The Belgian team's conductor still showed sharp passes, commanded the midfield and became the team's spiritual leader. However, he could not help his team go further. Now, the saddest thing is probably that the 32-year-old star has run out of chances to change that.
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