Author Archives: Belgofoot

Belgium 2 Montenegro 2

Not a classic but Kevin Mirallas had his best game for the national team. The defence was poor while Eden Hazard assumed his ‘boss’ role. More on the blog as the England game approaches.

Belgium’s new boss gives Hazard a chance to shine

First course in Brussels Tonight’s match with Montenegro is definitely the entrée before the main course which will be served at Wembley next Saturday. These matches are especially important for two men: Marc Wilmots and Eden Hazard. When Georges Leekens jumped ship for the extra cash on offer at Club Brugge, the suits at the… Read More »

Belgium’s managerial merry-go-round keeps on spinning

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 »

Jupiler League – it’s a wrap

Just tidying up the pieces here. The final games of the season had no bearing on the outcome of the prizes as that had all been decided on week nine, when Club Brugge had beaten a tired Genk and Standard had triumphed – in vain – over Gent. Anderlecht clinched the championship in week eight… Read More »

Anderlecht champion

At the end, there was no surprise. Anderlecht are champions! The manner was surprising however, with Guillaume Gillet equalising against Club Brugge from the penalty spot with the last kick of the game. It was a penalty, however, with Almeback pushing Dieumerci Mbokani in the 94th minute. The game itself can be forgotten, as can… Read More »

Kevin says a painful goodbye to the Jupiler League

Image by John ChapmanLast night, Kevin De Bruyne played his last game for Genk. Against Anderlecht, he left the field after 10 minutes with a broken toe. He’s hoping to be fully recovered in four-five weeks. This is very bad news for Genk – who lost heavily without him – but should not impact his move to Chelsea. Here are some facts about the boy:

The Belgofoot interview: Philippe Albert (part 1)

Philippe Albert, one of most popular foreign imports into the English game, looks back on his time with Newcastle United and said that those five years were the best years of his life – by far. I met him at his home in Wanfercée-Baulet, between Brussels and Charleroi, where he lives with his wife, children and a couple of horses. “I’ve always been lucky in my life”.

Playoffs – movers and shakers

With the halfway stage in the Jupiler League Playoffs fast approaching, it’s time to asses the state of the nation. The top two – Anderlecht and Club Brugge – meet on Sunday evening and that could easily lead to a change at the top. Club Brugge are just one point behind Anderlecht, who won the ‘classic’ season for the third year in a row. Sunday’s match will be at the Jan Breydel stadium and a lot of money on the street is going on a 1-0 victory for Christophe Daum’s boys. Here are my thoughts on the movers and shakers in the playoffs to-date

Belgium’s bands of brothers

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…