Kevin De Bruyne is not surprised by the disappointing course of the Nations League final tournament for Belgium. After the lost semi-final against France (2-3) Italy proved too strong in the consolation final on Sunday afternoon with 2-1. The ‘golden generation’ of Belgium, which has been counted among the world’s top since the 2014 World Cup, remains without a prize. De Bruyne preaches in conversation with VTM realism about the state of the Red Devils.
“We are only Belgium, with all due respect”, emphasizes the attacking midfielder, who made his entrance as a substitute against Italy after an hour. “We are coming with a new generation and we have missed a lot of players like Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard.” De Bruyne himself was spared and therefore started on the bench, while Michy Batshuayi replaced the injured Lukaku. Hazard suffered an injury in the game against France, which made him missing from the selection for the consolation final.
“We have to be a bit realistic with the team we have,” says De Bruyne. “Italy and France have 22 top players, we don’t. We are a small country and we need players to come and watch. We really need the young people. Every country has a cycle and one day these players will lead the country and the team.” A large part of the ‘golden generation’ is now quite old, but De Bruyne does not want to speak of the end of an era after the lost consolation final.
“Whether this has been the last chance for this generation? It has been about six years now. We remain a small country and our performances in the last tournaments are a big step,” emphasizes the Manchester City tastemaker. “The previous generation couldn’t even qualify for tournaments. But if you miss a big prize, it’s a failure. We should be proud of the work we are doing for our country and we will continue to help the young players.” In any case, De Bruyne does not want to give up. “That’s life, you look ahead. You try to do better next time. That’s it.”
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