Belgium just missing the silver lining
ROBERTO MARTINEZ takes great satisfaction from the fact that only Brazil and Spain have enjoyed a longer reign than his Belgium team as FIFA’S No.1-ranked side.
But the Red Devils boss knows the cake he has been baking these past five years needs icing in the Nations League finals this week or the World Cup 14 months from now to fully justify their status as the best team on the planet.
“We take the ranking with a real sense of pride,” he said. “For a nation of 11million people to be No.1 in the world for over three years is a fantastic achievement.
‘‘We hope we have worked on developing a strong way of playing and a strong legacy for generations to come.
“They have already achieved a bronze medal in the World Cup, which is the best position in the history of Belgium.
“And if we get a point against Estonia in November, it will be the first time
Belgium have qualified for five major tournaments consecutively.
“So there are landmarks and a lot of achievements, but nothing means as much as silverware.”
Belgium will have an opportunity to win that elusive first trophy if they can beat France in the Nations League semi-finals on Thursday and then either Spain or Italy, who knocked them out of the Euros, in Sunday’s final.
Belgium have the longest sequence of scoring at international level – 38 games – which is largely down to Romelu Lukaku (above), who had bagged 17 goals in 50 games before Martinez took over and has managed 50 in 50 since.
Martinez said: “I had the big advantage of knowing Rom from a very young age.
‘‘I’ve seen his evolution, his elite brain and desire to fulfil his potential. He is a sensational goalscorer.”