Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has claimed that the national team “has no chance of winning the World Cup” and is “too old” for the competition.
The Manchester City star went on to say his country has “lost key players” from the “Golden Generation” who finished third in Russia four years ago.
Belgium take the top spot in Group F by beating Canada 1-0 and play Morocco and Croatia next in their quest to qualify for the knockout stages.
belgian middle ages
The average age of the Belgium team is the sixth oldest with half of the starting XI against Canada being over 30 years old.
The Manchester City star feels his country’s chance to clinch the coveted World Cup trophy has passed them by.
The 31-year-old said: “There’s no chance, we’re too old” when asked about his country’s chances in Qatar in an interview with The Guardian. De Bruyne continued: “I think our opportunity was in 2018. We have a good team, but it is getting old. We lost some key players. We have some good new players coming in, but they’re not at the level that other players were in 2018. I see us more as outsiders.”
Despite winning against Canada, the Red Devils were far from their prime. The European team was unable to put in a dominant performance against the North American team and would consider themselves lucky to secure all three points.
Alphonso Davies missed a penalty, while Canada were clearly the better team of the two and could easily have scored and even won had they not been guilty of missing out on golden opportunities.
De Bruyne starred against Canada
De Bruyne was later awarded the man of the match award, but the star with his right foot and twinkling fingers disagreed with the verdict, mentioning that it was his reputation that earned him the award.
The Belgians are expected to have a strong run at the tournament and it remains to be seen if De Bruyne’s teammates can prove his statements wrong in the Gulf Nation.
The Belgian is the pivotal figure in Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, which has won Premier League titles four times in the last five years. Despite Arsenal leading the table this season, City remain the favorites to win the title in May.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Belgian
World Cup 2022 Guide
Here are some resources to help you make the most of the biggest event in soccer!
