Belgium head into Euro 2020 as one of the bookies’ favorites, along with the likes of England and France. But how far can Martinez’s once-in-a-generation squad go this summer?
• Manager: Roberto Martinez
• Current FIFA World Ranking: 1st
• Best European Championship finish: Runners-Up (1980)
It’s safe to say that a lot is expected of the number-one ranked nation in world football. Let’s take a look at Belgium’s Euro 2020 squad before checking out the country’s star player and their chances at the tournament.
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Simon Mignolet (Club Brugge), Mats Selz (Strasbourg).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Hertha Berlin), Jason Denayer (Lyon), Thomas Vermaelen (Vissel Kobe), Jan Vertonghen (Benfica).
Midfielders: Timothy Castagne (Leicester), Nacer Chadli (Istanbul Basaksehir), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico de Madrid), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Leander Dendoncker (Wolves), Thorgan Hazard (Dortmund), Thomas Meunier (Dortmund), Dennis Praet (Leicester), Youri Tielemans (Leicester), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), Axel Witsel (Dortmund).
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Crystal Palace), Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace), Jeremy Doku (Rennes), Eden Hazard (Real Madrid), Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Leandro Trossard (Brighton).
Reserves: Thomas Kaminski (Blackburn), Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge), Zinho Vanheusden (Standard Liege), Jordan Lukaku (Antwerp), Thomas Foket (Reims), Albert Sambi Lokonga (Anderlecht), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Brayn Heynen (Genk), Alexis Saelemaekers (AC Milan), Yari Verschaeren (Anderlecht), Charles De Ketelaere (Club Brugge).
Belgium’s Euro 2020 campaign begins with a match against Russia on June 12, before the Red Devils face Denmark for their second group game on June 17.
Martinez’s men will then play Finland in their final group match. Needless to say, Belgium will be hoping to have already qualified for the knockout phases before facing the Fins
Kevin De Bruyne: Let’s get one thing straight – Belgium’s squad is packed with world-class players. However, few could argue that De Bruyne isn’t the country’s best player.
Real Madrid duo Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard deserve a mention. But if Belgium are to go deep into the tournament, De Bruyne is likely to be at the heart of the action.
With the quality that Martinez has at his disposal, Belgium are more than capable of going all the way and winning Euro 2020. That said, there are plenty of other top teams.
Failing to qualify for the quarter-finals would be viewed as a failure, yet reaching the semi-finals would be seen as a success.