(Football news) The so-called "golden generation" of Belgium gets what appears to be its last chance to win the World Cup as Roberto Martinez leads the Red Devils into the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Kevin de Bruyne and his talented international teammates shouldered by highly rated young stars will lead Belgium team into a new age of international play. In the 2014 World Cup they managed to reach the quarterfinal after falling to Argentina 1-0, and finished third at the 2018 World Cup in Russia which was subsequently the nation's best-ever finish at a World Cup by far.
The Belgium National team are now ranked second in the world but still they are often undervalued amongst many of the other established World Cup powers such as Brazil, France, Spain, and Germany. The team has a deep and dangerous attack, but they have a number of weaknesses in defence which other teams could exploit. Martinez is an experienced coach who knows how to get the most out of his players by putting them in the best position to succeed. Most players who play for Belgium regularly were already assured of their place in the squad, barring a few injuries before the tournament.
There were a few choices for Martinez to select young up-and-coming players, but he selected a group of players he is already familiar with. There were a few injuries, most notably to Romelu Lukaku, who only just worked his way back to full fitness with Inter Milan but in his first match back he got a muscle injury, but he has made the cut. Full-back Thomas Meunier suffered a broken cheekbone last month but he is also heading to Qatar. On the other hand, the likes of Divock Origi, Jason Denayer and Dedryck Boyata were absent from the final squad.
Belgium going into the tournament will have the oldest squad, especially at the back, which could be a major problem for this Belgium side. Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are 33 and 35 years old respectively, and both are entering the twilight of their careers. There is very little young talent coming through to replace them in the centre of defence meaning the two veterans will likely start for Belgium at the back when healthy. Belgium are the highest-ranked team in Group F and will play their first match against Canada, before taking on African powers Morocco and 2018 finalists Croatia. With a difficult group it will be interesting to see how ready Belgium is for their chase of World Cup glory.
Belgium 26-man Squad
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Real madrid), Simon Mignolet (Club Brugge), Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg).
Defenders: Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht), Toby Alderweireld (Royal Antwerp), Leander Dendoncker (Aston Villa ), Zeno Debast (Anderlecht), Arthur Theate (Rennes), Wout Faes (Anderlecht).
Midfielders: Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), Axel Witsel (Atletico Madrid), Youri Tielemans (Leicester), Amadou Onana (Everton), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Dortmund), Timothy Castagne (Leicester City), Thomas Meunier (Borussia Dortmund).
Forwards: Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan), Michy Batshuayi (Fenerbahce), Loïs Openda (Lens), Charles De Ketelaere (AC Milan), Eden Hazard (Real Madrid), Jeremy Doku (Rennes), Dries Mertens (Galatasaray), Leandro Trossard (Brighton).
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