The new references of Belgium.

The times have changed and so has football

Today, talking about the Belgium national team means talking about its references, who are also references in European football; they are the protagonists of the best clubs worldwide, players of a different caliber than the Mexicans they will face this Friday. As proof, you only need to take a look at Roberto Martinez's call-up, as well as the FIFA Ranking for the month of October, where the Europeans are in fifth place in the world, below Germany, Brazil, Portugal, and Argentina.

Currently, Belgium is synonymous with efficient football, good ball possession, and a diverse attack, always nourished by players accustomed to winning. With their ticket already secured for Russia 2018, Martinez's team will face tough tests against top opponents, such as Mexico and Japan; they will face the Tri in Brussels and the Japanese in Bruges. For these two matches, he called up his best men, the current bastions of a generation aspiring to unprecedented achievements.

The goal of Belgium has had a fixed owner for years. Despite his youth (25), Thibaut Courtois, the immovable goalkeeper of Chelsea, has accumulated a lot of experience playing for the best teams in the world, with a previous stint at Atletico Madrid. Despite Chelsea's poor start in the Premier League, he is the current English competition champion goalkeeper, backed up by two heavyweight substitutes, such as Simon Mignolet from Liverpool and Matz Sels, who developed his career in the local league but joined Newcastle this season.

The defense consists of experienced players, but also includes new Belgian talents. Among the leaders of the defense, we can mention Thomas Vermaelen, who despite having little activity at Barcelona, has demonstrated his quality over the years and continues to be a reference; the same goes for Jan Vertonghen, who plays as a center-back in Mauricio Pochettino's surprising Tottenham. The absence of Vincent Kompany has left a gap that prospects like Thomas Meunier (PSG) and Jordan Lukaku (Lazio) have tried to fill, but they have yet to fully succeed.

The defense is perhaps the weakest point of such a competitive team. For the match against the Tri, the coach even included players like Laurent Ciman, a veteran who sought refuge in the MLS with the Montreal Impact; he also called up Dedryck Boyata from Celtic Glasgow, Christian Kabasele from Watford, and the defensive jewel of Anderlecht: Leander Dendoncker, a player sought after by European giants.

The midfield is where the main functions of Belgium's offensive construction are centralized. Kevin De Bruyne leads this line of the team. He is a versatile player who can play as an interior on either side or as an attacking midfielder, just like in Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, where he frequently plays. "He is an exquisite and very complete player who, in my opinion, performs functions that help in the offensive fight; he is decisive in the final touch," as described by the aforementioned coach. Eden Hazard stands out with similar functions and characteristics; he is the other driving force of Belgium. He can play as an interior midfielder or even as a left winger; his physical qualities (short: 1.72 and fast) help him in carrying out attacks for both his national team and Chelsea, where he has played since 2012. At 26 years old, along with De Bruyne, he is the face of a generation destined to make history in Russia 2018. The rest of the work in midfield is divided between Mousa Dembele (Tottenham), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), and Radja Nainngolan (Lazio).

The attack is formidable. Here, Belgium and Roberto Martinez count on Romelu Lukaku, the striker from Manchester United, recently acquired for this season; the players who provide him with the ball include Dries Mertens, a winger/attacking midfielder shining brightly with Napoli in Italy; the same goes for Kevin Mirallas, who knows the Red Devils' number 9 perfectly well as they played together at Everton. This is the new version of Belgium, the rejuvenation of a contender national team.

Despite the success Martinez has had with Belgium, the Spaniard remains humble and just a couple of days ago; in fact, the coach dedicated some words to his colleague Juan Carlos Osorio, who has been heavily criticized in Mexico for his constant rotations: "I will tell you why I think in these games you have to play with caution, you are not playing against a name, you are playing against a team. It's not the same to face them in an official match as in a friendly, I feel that playing against different confederations like Japan and Mexico is very important, they are very competitive, it will be very useful for us."

Martinez went further and not only spoke about the Tri in general but also included his opinion of Osorio as a coach on and off the field: "He is a great coach nowadays because modern football needs that tactical flexibility that he has, I like that he is obsessed with the game, he is passionate and is someone who is overflowing with his interest in doing the basic things best, and the beauty is to have good ideas and know how to express them to the players, and he does that very well."

When questioned in an interview with Fox Sports about an important individual in the Mexican national team, the Belgian coach himself declared his admiration for Javier Hernandez's qualities, confessing that he had tried to sign him at some point: "I've always had a great weakness for a player that I tried to sign several times when I was in the Premier League, and that is Chicharito; I like that he can contribute both inside and outside the box."