Thibaut Courtois was heavily critical of the Belgium team, claiming they are not a golden generation. Belgium crashed out of the World Cup in the group stage following dismal performances against Canada, Morocco and Croatia.
Belgium has been a team capable of winning the World Cup, yet the Red Devils have failed to live up to the promise. The Red Devils produced several talented players who popped on the scene at about the same time, prompting hope of delivering silverware. The team had the tag of the golden generation.
Despite being around for about a decade, the promise is still a mirage, and Belgium continues to search for that first senior silverware. They have often made a big splash on the scene, like their third-place finish at the last World Cup, but the golden generation has often flattered to deceive.
Following their recent ouster from the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the team is under scrutiny again, with the question asked why they have continually failed to deliver. Thibaut Courtois put them under a microscope and gave a scathing assessment of the team. He claims they’re not a golden generation.
Courtois criticizes Belgium
Belgium arrived in Qatar as one of the dark horses to win the World Cup. Many felt this was the year the golden generation would deliver on many years of promise. There was hope that they would improve on the results from their outing at the last World Cup, but things did not go to script.
It was an insipid performance by Belgium as they crashed out at the group stage. It is perhaps their worst outing at a major tournament in the last two decades. They struggled against Canada before sealing a fortuitous 1-0 win. The Red Devils then lost 2-0 to Morocco before a 0-0 draw with Croatia put the final nail to their coffin.
Courtois has not spared the team as he blasted their performance at the World Cup. The Real Madrid goalkeeper was highly disappointed with their performance, and something had to give. He claims the team cannot be referred to as a golden generation when they won nothing. Courtois also believes some players will need to leave.
What Courtois and De Bruyne said
When a team has the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois, there are high expectations of them. Despite the massive talent in this squad, they have failed to land an international honour. Their disappointing outing led Roberto Martinez to fall on his sword after they crashed out.
Courtois has criticized the Belgian team, stopping short of calling them bottlers. The team has underachieved, leading to the Real Madrid shot-stopper claiming they were not themselves at the World Cup and the Euro.
Courtois also said their performance was embarrassing and they were not fit to bear the tag of a golden generation, as they have no silverware to show for it. He was categorical in labelling the team as a generation with a lot of talent and great players from all over Europe.
