Kevin De Bruyne warns Belgium might be top of the FIFA World Rankings, but they cannot compete with Italy, France and Spain. ‘They have 22 top players, we don’t.’
The Red Devils had a 2-0 lead against France in the Nations League semi-final, eventually losing 3-2 in stoppages, and were beaten 2-1 by Italy today in the final for third place.
Nations League | Italy 2-1 Belgium: Azzurri take bronze medal
It is the first time since 2016 that Belgium have lost two consecutive matches.
“We did well at times against some top teams and had many new faces who did more than a decent job today,” De Bruyne told HNL.
“It’s good experience for them to be able to play against opponents of this calibre, but unfortunately we lost twice. With all due respect, playing against Estonia is not the same thing and these challenges are necessary for us to grow, both as individuals and as a team.”
Belgium have been top of the FIFA World Rankings for some time, but Manchester City star De Bruyne casts doubt on the calculations.
“With all due respect, we are ‘just’ Belgium. It’s a new generation, we were missing Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard today, so we have to be realistic about the team we have.
“Italy, France and Spain have 22 top players to choose from and we do not.”
He’s absolutely right, but what a way to bum out your younger, fringe players Kevin!
I’m surprised to hear such comments from a world class player. Almost sounds as though he’s had it playing for the national team and their underachievement over the years!!