Still in search of its first major trophy, Belgium advances into Germany with its status as an outsider and the desire to create a surprise against the other favorites. The third nation in the world will be able to count on its executives Jan Vertonghen, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku who will be mixed with the Belgian youth represented by the fiery Jérémy Doku. In 2021, the Red Devils stopped in the quarter-finals against Italy, future winner of the competition.
The anecdote
The players will wear an away jersey in homage to Tintin. The Red Devils will wear, for their second tunic, the outfit of the famous comic book hero of Belgian origin: a light blue polo shirt with a white collar, brown shorts and a pair of white socks. An initiative led by Piet Vandendriessche, new president of the Belgian federation (RBFA), who is a fan of the character.
The last six Euros
Team form
Undefeated since its defeat against Morocco in November 2022 and its elimination in the group stages of the competition, Belgium leaves as favorite in its group which includes Slovakia, Romania and Ukraine. In particular, it remains in two friendly draws in March, against Ireland (0-0) and England (2-2), where Jude Bellingham came to equalize in the final moments of the match. The Red Devils will face Montenegro and Luxembourg in preparation for the Euro.
The match schedule
Consult the profiles of all the teams on the Euro guide. And those in Group E in particular, namely Slovakia, Romania and Ukraine.
The list of selected players
In an outsider position in the competition, Dominique Tedesco’s selection arrives very well armed in Germany. The only downside: the absence of Thibaut Courtois, who had not missed a single major competition with the Red Devils for 12 years. The Belgian goalkeeper is just recovering from two knee injuries including a ligament and returned very late in the goals for Réal Madrid with whom he played in the Champions League final against Dortmund at the beginning of June.
- Guardians: Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thomas Kaminski (Luton Town), Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest)
- Defenders: Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Maxim De Cuyper (FC Bruges), Zeno Debast (Anderlecht), Wout Faes (Leicester), Thomas Meunier (Trabzonspor), Arthur Theate (Stade Rennais), Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht), Axel Witsel (Atlético de Madrid)
- Environments : Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Orel Mangala (Olympique Lyonnais), Amadou Onana (Everton), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Arthur Vermeeren (Atlético de Madrid), Aster Vranckx (Wolfsburg)
- Attackers: Johan Bakayoko (PSV Eindhoven), Yannick Carrasco (Al-Shabab), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Jérémy Doku (Manchester City), Romelu Lukaku (AS Roma), Dodi Lukébakio (Sevilla), Loïs Openda (RB Leipzig), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal)
The probable composition
If Belgium’s eleven seems less dashing than in 2016, it will be able to rely on a high-level offensive quartet. Behind Romelu Lukaku, Jérémy Doku, Leandro Trossard and especially Kevin De Bruyne will be responsible for leading the attack and delivering balls to the AS Roma striker. Behind, the defensive sector will be led by experienced defender Jan Vertonghen (154 caps).
The player to watch: Kevin De Bruyne
New captain of Belgium after the retirement of Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne is the maestro of the Red Devils. Absent part of the season after a hamstring injury, the Manchester City midfielder still performed at a high level with 18 assists to his name. At 32 years old, “KDB” is perhaps preparing to play his last Euro and has still not managed to lift a major trophy for the national team.
