Coming into this tournament, Belgium had something of a harsh reputation as underachievers. After all, this was supposed to be Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’.
And before we consider whether it was truly golden, it’s worth pointing out how clearly defined this generation is. Extraordinarily, all eight of Belgium’s all-time most-capped players were in this World Cup squad.
It seems that the golden generation tag has become so over-used that neutrals now actively want those sides to fail. And if you’re really a golden generation, shouldn’t you win gold?
OK, Belgium haven’t managed to reach a final with this current group of talent, with the latest exit — sealed by the 0-0 draw with Croatia — prompting the end of Roberto Martinez’s reign. But the nature of the draw plays a major part in any major tournament, and at World Cup 2018 and Euro 2020, Belgium were only eliminated by the eventual winners, France and Italy, by a one-goal margin in the semi-final and quarter-final respectively.
At the World Cup in Russia, they were unfortunate to be on the wrong half of the draw, essentially penalised for finishing ahead of England in the group stage. They needed to beat Japan, Brazil and France to reach the final. England lucked out, getting Colombia, Sweden and Croatia. You wonder what might have happened had Belgium not beaten England in the final, meaningless group fixture.
They’ve often been entertaining, too. Their 3-2 victory over Japan four years ago was one of the most thrilling matches of World Cup 2018. Martinez’s use of Kevin De Bruyne as a false nine and Romelu Lukaku on the right shocked Brazil, the favourites, in the quarter-final. Belgium counter-attacked brilliantly in the opening half hour, then held on for a 2-1 win. Last year, their 2-1 defeat to Italy was probably the most open encounter from the quarter-finals onwards, in what ended up becoming a rather defensive tournament.
It’s worth remembering the extent to which Belgium had struggled in the decade beforehand. They didn’t qualify for any tournament between World Cup 2002 and World Cup 2014, which is crazy in hindsight, but felt normal at the time. Belgium didn’t have any good players. ‘Golden generations’ must be considered in relation to the country’s historic record.