All That’s Golden Belgium?

National teams’ golden generations in abundance, is that the case? So, did the term become prevalent when attached to England? The Beckhams, Lampard, Rooney, Gerrard, this era, the early 2000’s when the themed ‘golden’ was attached. So, should this be the case? How can it be golden if failure serves its devil at the end of tournament failure? Can France, Spain, Italy, Holland profess to have had the ‘golden G’? Should the term be attached to the Belgium national team who came to prominence prior to the 2014 World Cup, hosted in Brazil? The Manero delves into the Belgique chocolates at hand, luxury, to bring the theory to task.

A golden generation under the reference of, quote Manero “An exceptionally gifted group of players all of relatively the same age into a youthful bracket”. Prior to the arrival of the Belgian golden generation, the Belgian national team had failed from 2004 to 2012 to quality for a major tournament until the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with their arrival onto the world stage became prevalent with the youngest European squad to contest a World Cup, names to roll call, Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Thomas Vermaelen, Simon Mignolet to name five of that squad, raw generational talent at an average age of 25.

Belgium went into the tournament as the fifth favourite, but imploded at the last eight stage 1 to 0 v Argentina, a match Belgium should have won. Two years later in the 2016 European Championships again the Red Devils flattered to deceive losing out to Wales 3 to 1, again at the quarter-final stage. Roberto Martinez took the reigns from Marc Wilmots for the Euros. Martinex arrived with an impressive CV having managed Swansea City, Wigan Athletic and Everton, a coach who would set the team up to be possession based, Roberto was viewed as a laque appointment in many quarters, an unjust tag. The ousting of Wilmots came of a surprise with records being played out during Wilmot’s tenure. From September 2016 to June 2021 Belgium played 58 matches losing just 3 matches, they were ruthless and consistent, but this did not match up with failure at the top table tournaments, they had the talent, but without the reality matching, records were being set outside of the major tournaments, small consolation, pockets of success?

The trail blazing of unique numbers being written into the history books, led to all roads Russia with the 2018 World Cup. Belgian entered the tournament as sixth favourites ahead of England. To be looking to peel back the flakes, ‘flaky’ the aptly named Belgian cake ‘Le Miserable’. The Red Devils were lacking in the right back berth with Meunier Thomas and Tim Castagne fallible, alongside to be stricken if injuries hit home in the midfield areas. Belgium took a step further to the semi-finals 2018, losing 1 to nil to the eventual winners France, for the record Belgium beat England 1 to nil in the third placed play off match, seeds of solace.

Questions were being asked, should they be lifting trophies? Are they underachieving? Should they hold the golden generation pennant? A Belgian characteristic of temperamental values, bust ups rumoured in camp, Belgium known for being a divided nation filtering through into the national side? A mix of the Dutch and France perhaps who live under the same temperamental void. To compound the lens further during the 2018 season, Belgium earned the ranking of being the world’s number 1 team to sit alongside an empty trophy cabinet. The FIFA rankings on a points system punch out with matches won rather than the gold winning World Cup stars and the European Championship winning medallions, they ruled for 1442 days. The world’s COVID was on the horizon and the gold traits running through the team’s veins were becoming fragmented, there was still hope in the artillery bit that was finally crushed at Euro 2020, with a quarter-final loss v Italy and onto a disastrous Qatar World Cup finishing third in group F at Euro 2024 a loss to France in the last sixteen stage has brought down the curtain on the Belgium golden generation, captain Kevin de Bruyne questioned the GG tag looking for a get out clause, they were golden that cannot be denied, it’s the history books that will judge them, all that’s golden, Belgium into the record books will go Belgium’s meteoric rise from a FIFA world ranking of 68 in the world to a world ranking of 1 to be currently ranked at number 7. Belgium did reach the European Championship final in 1980 losing to Germany two to one, only eight countries participated in the tournament. So, is it a hung jury on the historical value of the Belgium national team?

The Easy Riders

Texas USA, the scene of the Alamo was chosen as the state to showcase the freak of a boxing match up at the Dallas cowboys AT and T stadium with a fifty eight year old Mike Tyson in a rabbit punch fest with the YouTuber Jake Paul and a thirty year age gap sprawled across the intrigue. The fight fizzled out into a non-event with Tyson riding high on the injections to keep straddle free and Jake Paul exercising his right to be fake boxer as a YouTuber, the fight petered out to a points win to Jake the fake, to just about save us from losing our sanity.

The customary strutting around the ring, cards held high by a bevy of wannabes, the glammed up girls seeking glorification, certainly took that marker from the two washed up fighters on show. It all became golden with the camera crews lensing to a golden locked card woman named as Sydney Thomas, now the only Sydney I know is the one that starred in ‘Carry on up the Khyber’. Sydney we can see is more referred to as a man’s name, I’m not going there in the era of the woke bollocks, I hope not, this Sydney seems legit? The blonde Sydney hit her fifteen minutes of claim famer by going viral numbering a million views on the TikTok in the main. So what did the trick? Was it a case of the ugly sisters in fraud Tyson and Jake Paul boring the hot pants off, to highlight the abysmal or a case of the plastic boobs becoming the easy riders, to be careful not to pop the boobs might anti-viral. Sydney professes to be some kind of intellect marking down the Syd’s pass grades, shallow waters indeed, one’s resume was given, they always slot in a few porkies, chew on that. The easy rider pay outs came, the way of the fraudsters in gloves, Tyson’s pay day rang out at 16 million pounds with the seconds out pay out to J Paul at 32 million. So did Sydney’s easy riders steal the show, listen to them bell chimes on TikTok, the day the easy riders rode into town, the Alamo and all that. It was all authentic, wasn’t it?

Manero on X – Jake Paul – The Carl Froch Callout

@chestermanero
Jake Paul knows his limitations, he knows to step in the ring with Froch would be goodnight Vienna.

@chestermanero
I find it incredible that Paul makes millions out of what he does, good PR and a platform, that’s all his substance.

To feature in February 2026 Manero Edition

Manero revisits Barry Hearn, the Manero call outs titled ‘Barry of Arabia’

The second call out = The Pre World Cup Horror Show

Plus David Beckham’s Golden Qualis Eggs

Added Part 1 ‘Sir Jim, the Harlequin of Manchester United’