Belgium: the best team at the World Cup you know nothing about

After four years of qualifiers and friendlies and debates about who should or shouldn’t be on the final 23-man rosters heading to Brazil, the 2014 FIFA World Cup is just days away. So of course everyone is discussing the best squads and potential title contenders including the likes of Brazil, Spain, Germany, etc. One team that hasn’t gotten the same level of press, however, is Belgium—the best team at the World Cup you know nothing about.

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A country of just over 11 million, the Kingdom of Belgium lies nestled between Germany, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in the Northwest corner of Europe. The country has a solid, though not spectacular soccer history on the international stage, finishing as high as fourth in the 1986 World Cup, but failing to qualify for the last two. In the European championships, the team has a similar history, finishing as runners-up in 1980, but missing out on the last three competitions.

This time around, however, they qualified with ease, romping through their group to a first place finish with 26 points—nine more than Croatia, who finished in second place and was sent to a playoff to qualify (which they did). Only the Netherlands and Germany finished with more points—28 for each—in European qualifying, which is almost unanimously regarded as the toughest qualifying region. In short, these guys can play.

In fact, Belgium is one of the most talented teams heading to Brazil this summer, with the roster full of bright young talent. Up front there’s Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Adnan Januzaj—all of whom are 23 or younger. In the midfield there’s Marouane Fellaini, Mousa Dembele and Kevin De Bruyen—all 26 or younger. The back line features 25 year-old Toby Alderweireld along with veterans Vincent Kompany, Jan Vertonghen, and Thomas Vermaelen. Minding the goal is 22 year-old wunderkind Thibaut Courtois. From left to right, front to back, you won’t find many more talented squads than Belgium.

Nevertheless, they aren’t a team many people know too much about coming into the World Cup. Sure, if you’re a diehard Premier League fan or watch a lot of the Champions League you’ll know these guys, but most casual fans have no idea that Belgium—a small country the size of Maryland with a population that barely exceeds that of the Chicago metropolitan area—has some of the most soccer talent in the world.

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Part of it is due to their lack of recent success. Even people who aren’t soccer fans know Brazil and Argentina and Germany and Spain are good at soccer because those teams have historically dominated the sport. Then there’s the lack of a big time international superstar that draws attention to the country. Brazil has Neymar, Argentina has Lionel Messi, Portugal has Cristiano Ronaldo, Spain has Xavi and Iniesta, England has Wayne Rooney and David Beckham before him. These are world-renowned players that have transcended the sport and become more than just great soccer players—they are international icons. Even people who have zero interest in soccer know who Messi and Ronaldo are and where they’re from. Belgium doesn’t have anyone like that. They have abundant talent, but no international icons. And so, due to these factors—among others—Belgium is not looked upon as the budding dynasty it very well may be—at least not by non-soccer junkies.

The currently 11^th-ranked Belgian squad opens its World Cup play on June 22 against Russia. Drawn into Group H along with South Korea, Algeria and the aforementioned Russians, Belgium was blessed with one of the easiest paths to the knockout stage. Given their talent level, it would be downright shocking to see the Red Devils, as they’re known, not advance past the group stage.

Hazard. Lukaku. Fellaini. Kompany. Alderweireld. Courtois. You may not have known any of those names before now, but there’s a great chance that in a few weeks time you’ll not only know them well, but be able to pronounce them perfectly.

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Belgium: The best team at the World Cup you know nothing about

By Jack Maloney | Jun 10, 2014