Belgium's fightback shows that they're not just about chocolate

It’s hard to care for the World Cup if your country has not qualified. But for a sport played and watched by over 200 countries, it would be silly not to watch and follow some of the action. Backing a team would make it easier — and if you’re one of those who cheers for the underdog or the outsider, then there’s no better choice for which to sacrifice your voice chords than the Red Devils from Belgium. A recent Google survey showed that Brazil, England and Spain were the most popular teams in India. Argentina and Germany follow and Netherlands and France are also well-backed by the neutrals. But chuck those numbers into the bin and get behind Belgium. Aside from the fact that the country makes excellent chocolate, Belgium’s football side have everything one needs to like them. Three years ago, they were 62nd in the FIFA rankings – one place behind Iran. Now, they are ranked 11th in the world. Their current coach Marc Wilmots was the last Belgian to score in a World Cup before this one. Nobody in their current squad has ever played in a big football tournament before and their average age is just 25.5 years. It’s a golden generation that has come together — a group of club football superstars scattered across the top leagues in Europe. [caption id=“attachment_1575647” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Belgium’s Dries Mertens scored the winner against Algeria. AP[/caption] And as if those weren’t reasons enough to make you cheer for them, then they registered a brilliant comeback win in their first match at the World Cup. So, country well known around the world (for chocolate)? Check. Team with superstars (Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen, Adnan Januzaj, Eden Hazard and Simon Mignolet play for Man City, Arsenal, Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool respectively)? Check. Dark horses of the World Cup? Check. Have a fancy nickname (Red Devils)? Check. Can come from 0-1 down and win 2-1? Check. They have some starlets too — Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is one of the world’s best at just 22 years of age, and played for Atletico Madrid as the team reached the Champions League final. Their striker Romelu Lukaku is just 21 and played for Everton on loan from Chelsea, scoring 16 goals as the Toffees finished sixth in the English Premier League. Belgium know they have the talent to go far in this World Cup. The team is similar to the German team of 2010, with young, fast and inventive midfielders and solid target men. What you are witnessing witnessing in 2014 is a coming together of serious talent — a coincidence of 23 human beings all being born in a particular era and the country’s ability to turn their football potential into reality. Belgium with a population of 11.4 million has just 34 clubs spread over two divisions — sparse compared to European powerhouses. But they still boast of enough star-power to challenge and perhaps even beat the bigwigs. Surprisingly, Belgium’s resurgence started with something that may sound silly — inculcating a habit to not concentrate on winning, but just getting better. A BBC article which illustrates this in detail, says that Belgium’s former technical director Michel Sablon went from school to school asking coaches to play a particular formation. He also said that ‘results went out of the window’. “The objective of the youth teams was no longer to win games, it was to develop players. It was not easy, I was personally attacked in the press and by people in the Belgium federation,” he is quoted as saying. Belgium also benefited from their players moving to other European leagues. 12 of them play in the Premier League. In their 2-1 come-from-behind win, Belgium showed signs of nervousness in the first half. It looked like they were being bogged down by the expectations — and with the roster they have, it’s not surprising. But the best way to prove your doubters wrong is by winning from a losing position — Belgium brought on Marouane Fellaini and Dries Mertens in the second half and both players scored. They took more shots from inside the area and attacked with tenacity. They learned, made a change and fought back. And that’s why you must support Belgium at the World Cup. The fact that they may win it all is incidental.