A recent episode of Gurulandias podcast had an interview with former Belgian international Radja Nainggolan. The charismatic midfielder was asked about why he thought the so called golden generation of Belgian football failed to win a trophy. As reported by HLN, the midfielder did not hold back.
In response to the question, the former Serie A midfielder said ‘We had Lukaku, Hazard, De Bruyne, Courtois… Everyone wanted to be the protagonist, the most important player. And that doesn’t work. Put all those players together, and you have too many protagonists. Too many divas.’
Some may compare this side, and the midfielders reasons, to ones that have come out from former England players from the early 2000s. The side was similarly talented but allowed club loyalties to get in the way of the national team. Lukaku and De Bruyne are still major parts of the Red Devils, with the latter having taken over as captain and become a vocal leader for the side off the pitch. Hazard has since retired, while Courtois has also left the national team over disagreements with current head coach Domenico Tedesco.
The veteran Nainggolan is currently without a club, having spent some time in Indonesia after leaving Antwerp and SPAL.
GBeNeFNÂ |Â Ben Jackson