Rise of the Belgians

I'm not very good at predictions and they usually come back to haunt me which is why I never have a bet on my own team or even voice an opinion as to the outcome of a Charlton game.  However, it has never stopped me from voicing an opinion or two on other teams even if it is just to stir things up so here is my latest prediction - the Belgium football team will win a major tournament in the next decade!

The old joke goes about trying to name ten famous Belgians, which we in the UK struggle to get further than the cartoonist known as Herge of Tintin fame and Poirot (who doesn't count as he's fictional character created by an English person).  Well here's a whole team, many of which are household names in the Premier League, although like me I am sure that most of you were surprised at a first glance that many of these players were from Belgium.

The National team's recent tack record actually looks appalling.  They did not qualify for either the 2006 or 2010 World Cup, or the last three European Cups.  However, their current FIFA ranking of 12 is higher than Brazil and looking at the list of recent players I cannot but think that they are a team in the making.

Vincent Kompany, the captain, at 27 is considered a veteran and one of the more well known players in the squad.  However, they have a youthful team with an average age of around 24.  Christian Benteke and Lukaku (who has just been called back to Chelsea after a successful loan spell at West Bromwich) make an awesome pair upfront.  Combine them with Mirallas from Everton and this would be considered a decent strike force in anyone's fantasy football team.  Adding the likes of Hazard, Fellaini and Dembele in midfield and one can quickly see why I have made my prediction.  These are just the players that ply their trade in England - never mind the rest of the squad that plays on the continent.

We also need to look at their average age.  Many of these players are too young to have competed in the qualifying rounds for the previous tournaments mentioned above and so are untried in a competitive environment.  The current world cup 2014 qualifiers are currently underway and Belgium currently lie top of their group having won six out of seven games and drawn the other.  While they still have to play second place Croatia who are only three points away, with three games to go I would find it difficult not to predict that they will qualify for Rio

The team still has a way to go before it starts to hit the headlines but when they do win something, remember you heard it here first! One thing is certain, and unfortunately its that none of them are going to sign for Charlton anytime soon.  Moules and Frites anyone?