The next few years for Belgium football could be very good as a new generation of players starts to come of age.
The national team is in a tough qualifying group for Euro 2012 with Germany, Turkey and an improving Austrian side, but Belgium finished fourth in UEFA’s Under-21 championship in 2007, and were also semi finalists a year later in the Beijing Olympics. Several of the new generation have decided to ply their trade in the lucrative English Premier League including Marouane Fellaini at Everton, Thomas Vermaelen at Arsenal, Moussa Dembele, Fulham and Vincent Kompany, Manchester City.
However there are more talented players coming along and they will be part of an under 21 team which faces Scotland in a friendly tomorrow night (Friday), a game that the Red Devils should win. The Belgian team will be made up of Manchester City’s Dedryck Boyata and Yassine El Ghanassy of AA Gent player who has been watched by Glasgow Celtic this season among others.
Other notables are unlikely to play such as the promising forward Romelu Lukaku, who scares defenders like Didier Drogba and leads the line for Anderlecht at the age of 17 and was the Belgian league’s top scorer last season and Eden Hazard a forward for French Ligue 1 leaders Lille.
The senior team might not make the Euro 2012 championship, but things may be very different a year later for the Belgian squad in the Euro under 21 finals. Put some money on it, now.
