A different story about Matias Suarez appears every day. Last Thursday he was on his way to CSKA Moscow for the sum of €16 million, with €11 million going to Anderlecht and the rest being shared between several of his agents. On Friday, it was all off; medical tests had shown a knee problem (not… Read More »
La Dernière Heure today reported that Eden Hazard’s 19 year-old brother Thorgan is about to join him at Chelsea. Has the world gone mad? I could just about understand why Chelsea took Lamisha (20) and Tika (18) Musonda when they wanted to sign 15 year-old Charly Junior; to be honest, their father was probably insisting… Read More »
Belgium have not beaten England since 1936, in Brussels. Belgium have never won in England. The odds are therefore, obviously, against them winning this evening. (Although odds seem to be dropping as I write, 4-1 from 6-1). But stranger things have happened. Five of the likely Belgium team play in the Premier League (with two… Read More »
With the Belgium national team due to arrive in Luton tomorrow, ahead of their friendly match at Wembley on Saturday, and with Marouane Fellaini telling reporters that everyone in England is talking about Belgium, it’s time to answer the question – where did this talented group of players come from? A couple of years ago,… Read More »
TOPS Best Belgian Player in any League Eden Hazard had another remarkable season (20 goals and 15 assists, Ligue 1 player of the year) while Jan Vertonghen was elected the Eredivisie’s top man as Ajax took the championship. But the award has to go to Vincent Kompany for his leadership of Premier League champions Manchester… Read More »
Round about the time I entered hospital for a knee operation, the holders of the four highest-profile coaching jobs in Belgium decided to say ‘enough is enough’. No connection between those events of course, but as I’m starting to hobble around – with a parrot on my shoulder – it’s time to reflect on those… Read More »
A few days ago I read an article in La Dernière Heure reporting that a young 17 year-old midfielder had signed a three-year contract with Standard Liege. The player in question was Reda Jaadi, an U17 Belgium international not really on my radar.
Then today, the same paper announced that his brother Nadil, 15, is likely to sign a three-year contract with Anderlecht. He is said to be brightest star in his age group. But wait; there are two even younger brothers – both already signed up with clubs in Belgium.
This got me thinking about the bands of brothers that are breaking through in the various levels of Belgium’s international teams and wondering how many will make it to the top…
Anderlecht are deep in crisis and there is much chatter about Ariel Jacobs being replaced at the end of the season. But why blame the coach? He can only play with the cards that he’s been dealt; and Jacobs has been dealt some duds. Anderlecht won the championship in 2009-10 with a side that… Read More »
Belgium has a history of top goalkeepers with Michel Preud’homme and Jean-Marie Pfaff both being named world’s best goalkeeper in their time. Preud’homme, with KV Mechelen and Benfica, and Pfaff, of Beveren and Bayern Munich, spread the word about Belgian keepers far and wide. Head off to see Standard Liege and you’ll still hear fans… Read More »
Franky Vercauteren’s Genk are top at the half-way stage and that’s a pleasant surprise. At the start of the season, Anderlecht were most people’s favourite to retain the title and they probably still are. They’ve kept all their top players, except for the loss – if it can be described that way – of Jelle… Read More »