Belgian Golden Shoe/Soulier d'or 1954-2010

These stats were real, when playing as left-back in a Champions League knock-out stage (3-0 vs Dortmund):

Jan Vertonghen vs. Borussia Dortmund:

Most take-ons completed (4)
Joint-most interceptions (4)
Joint-most clearances (3)
Joint-most attempts on target (1)
Joint-most goals (1)
Joint-most assists (1)
Joint-most blocked crosses (1)
Second-most crosses completed (2) pic.twitter.com/O3Qe4pNyBn

— Spurs Stat Man (@spursstatman) February 13, 2019

Had the most dribbles of anyone in the match. I know defenders can't be fully judged by it, but at least this indicates a certain attacking thrust (although of course it helps when your team is not on the backfoot, Sancho/Hakimi has to defend you etc.). My pick was however more based on the national team, and that sample size.

 

I really should pick up this thread again, in particular the international matches (e.g. Liverpool vs Alaves 2001; Stuttgart vs Napoli 1989), but they have also an episode for Belgium vs Uruguay in 1990:
https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/classic-matches-with-modern-eyes.2110318/

But there is so many of them and it takes quite some time, even when using the transcript (they are also of varying quality).



Host: "We'll enjoy again some nostalgic football moments. The borders are open again so we can pick up our Dutchmen again. Welcome Youri Mulder." [laughter] "Have you come through the last few months well Youri?"

Mulder: "Yes, nicely quiet. I kind of liked it that you know 'I have the coming months almost nothing'. Your whole agenda is cleaned. It benefited me as a human but that's something personal."

Host: "After how many weeks do you desire football again?"

Mulder: "Oh, that wasn't too bad at all. I'm someone who adapts to the situation, I get accustomed soon to things. I don't need much time and also don't longing back to something. For me it could have continued for another month."

Host: "But you are now here and will be forced to talk and observe football. You're anyway dressed in your purple-orange blouse."

Mulder: "Yes, especially for you guys I've chosen my most orange shirt."

Host: "We will also talk about Oranje later. Netherlands vs West Germany in 1988. But Filip, now a match from 1990 right?"

Joos: "Yes, Belgium against Uruguay. Not the England game, because that is a less interesting game."

Host: "The national football trauma."

Joos: "David Platt, and we thought then, because we were a better playing team than England, 'we can go far once again here'. At that age, I was 15, I thought that. But it came to this because of the Uruguay match. I liked to see that again. I knew the goals, because they're so emblematic and evocative. But unlike other classic matches, I wasn't disenchanted this time, and I'm happy Youri fully agreed with me right?"

Mulder: "I enjoyed this match, absolutely. It was good."

Joos: "Uruguay didn't have a bad team right. They had Francescoli, Ruben Sosa. It was on paper a good Uruguay team and they were actually seen as favorites before the match. They had played 0-0 against Spain, we had only beaten South Korea with 2-0. Before the match in Verona."

Host: "They didn't travel under the best constellation. There was a quarrel between the father figure Guy Thys and the iconic captain Jan Ceulemans. What was the inducement to the disagreement?"

Joos: "Yes, a certain Marc van der Linden was dropped in the team. You can't truly say Guy Thys was blind because Van der Linden was coming from a very strong season, he was aged 26 and going up. Ceulemans was 33, had a lesser period before that and going to the autumn of his career, although he had a strong final season before his knee gave way in a duel. But because of the relation you allude to, Thys the father figure, Ceulemans an icon and still having the armband, it was a shock when it was told very late to him. There is an excellent documentary made on this, and there you see him saying: 'Yes, something is broken. Between Thys and me.' He said that. Imagine if that happens today. Imagine."

Host: "We'll listen briefly again."
[....]

Host: "We were in a group with Uruguay and Spain..."

Mulder: "He was the captain. Great player."

Host: "... but he wasn't starting."

Joos: "But he came in at half-time against Korea, at 0-0, and Ceulemans was again the man."

Host: "This are moments from the second half."

Joos: "Not that I know him very well, but people who knew him thought: 'If Jan says something is broken, you don't glue that so soon.' Must be a strange tournament."

[..... the highlights ....]

Host: "With a brief glance of a very young Wilmots at the sideline. Filip, you was also young then, 17..."

Joos: "Fifteen. Seventeen, sorry. Good Carl, you know my year better than myself."

Host: "Do you know where you was thirty years ago?"

Joos: "At home. I also know where I was with the England game [....]"

Host: "Is this a sequence of memories or new moments you recognize if you watch it again."

Joos: "Yes you discover... Your memory is always different and becomes condensed to certain phases. The match itself... but that is also that way with games from ten years ago I think. That you less... For example how De Wolf plays in this match. I pick him out now. That was such an annoying defender to play against. That Uruguayan opponent, Alzamendi, was devoured by him. De Mol also superb, came from a season at Porto, then went to Toulouse after this World Cup. I can't understand why he wasn't taken by the big clubs after all the international recognition that came his way."

Host: "We played a terrific game but it is all going along well right? If the Uruguayans make a goal in the first half we see a different situation and process, but... there was football in it right?"

Mulder: "Fantastic. If you see Scifo. I watched the match in full yesterday and Scifo... It is still 30 years ago, and I think, well, last week I saw the comparable Ceballos in action... Right, Scifo a much better footballer in construction, but if you would transfer him in the football of now, the rhythm, the trapping, the acceleration and speeding up of play, play the ball early. Maybe not everyone agrees but he'd fit in well in the game of Guardiola."

Host: "In the second half of the show we will also see Vanenburg."

Joos: "I'm happy you say it because we at home... You had many Scifo..."

Mulder: "Look at this."

Joos: "You had many Scifo haters."

Mulder: "The rhythm. Control, turn and go. Fantastic."

Joos: "We were at home Scifo fans. If you watch the match, distributing the ball with his left and his right. It is what you say, the acceleration in team play is there. And he was often accused of dwelling and dribbling too much, but here you see he has eye for the running recipients. Also for the depth and 'team pace' forward. Well, this was maybe also his best tournament, he came after a year at Auxerre, failed at Inter, had difficulties in Bordeaux I personally think. Here a good laying off with his head, Degryse comes nearly on time. Blossomed fully under the fabled Guy Roux, after the great period at Anderlecht - who remembers still the Bayern games? This is what he dared right, keep on playing football. That was sometimes thrown at him, but it is the preface to these sort of attacks. Where also De Mol makes a move forward."

Mulder: "What is also nice, is that he played a bit from the right side in midfield isn't it? But Scifo is a real number ten, who prefers to play in the middle. And you see the team solves that puzzle for him. Ceulemans often on the right, Clijsters..."

Joos: "And here he goes with the Uruguayan Youri. He tracks the runners, then you are not a luxury Youri."

Mulder: "Yes, he plays as right-back here for a minute because Gerets had to move inward and upward. Later there was of course the double-yellow for Gerets, which meant Belgium played for 50 minutes with ten men. But actually with ten men you shouldn't let Scifo do that too often, and maintain his danger in attack."

Joos: "No but he did it, more than once."

Mulder: "Because it is not his quality, less so with ten men, and the others also solved it for him."

Joos: "Physically they were sharp. You also saw Ceulemans in the interview. How sharp he was, as always, not an ounce too much fat."

Host: "You say it Filip. There were lovers and haters. Scifo was a polarizing footballer. Was the polarization also fueled by how commentator Rik de Saedeleer regularly approached him? Because he was clearly not the biggest fan of Scifo."

Joos: "No, he was not a big Scifo fan. Well, right, match commentators are allowed to have a substantiated opinion. Therefore De Saedeleer was also loved, and funny, with many Dutchmen tuning in to Belgian television because he was doing the commentating, and commentating for the northern television as well. I know I interviewed Scifo once and that I told him: 'my cat was called Scifo'. And he looked at me, really as if struck by God, and said: 'mais, des Flamands, heh?'

Host: "He thought all Flemings hated him."

Joos: "That feeling he had. I said back: 'sure, but I also appreciate football so my cat was named Scifo.'"

Host: "Scifo, Degryse... that are also players returning now. If we think of Hazard, Mertens. The pocket players who have an above average gift with the ball."

Joos: "Be careful, Enzo was 1.79 meters. Then you are not small.."

Mulder: "Certainly not for a child of Italian parents thirty years ago."

Joos: "But he was a strong athlete too. Frank Raes also said that a few times, 'if Scifo braced himself'. Imagine Scifo playing as defensive midfielder, that would not be out of the question too. But we had playing a very good one there with Van der Elst."

Mulder: "But I found them all technically strong, honestly. In that match. I didn't have it pictured quite like that in my mind. I also thought: the technical players are Degryse, Scifo... But if you see Van der Elst. All those trappings and touches, all good, no hyperbole."
[...]
"Grün also, yes."

Joos: "Grün played at Parma and played centrally in midfield. Was from right-back at Anderlecht, he came there. Still in a role where you need to play football, seeing the things."

Mulder: "But they came short. They played against England, two or three days later, and..."

Joos: "No, no, there is also a match against Spain in between, without Gerets. That match is despite a good Ceulemans lost and because of that against England. And against England we didn't come short, we hit the post twice... yes okay... "

Host: "Ceulemans and Scifo hit the post with Shilton beaten."

Mulder: "But you play more than a half with ten men. That costs force and energy in such tournament, really. In particular if you are Belgium and not, for example, Germany."
[...]
Joos: "You had subsequently Cameroon with Roger Milla, and we thought we had a big chance there."

Host: "But the English had difficulties with them. Needed extra time, stood 1-2 behind at the 82th minute. Lineker scored twice from the spot, as we saw last week. Thus saying Belgium starts the game 1-0 ahead against Cameroon... What you noticed Filip, was the difference in experience at the anthems, between 1990 and 2018, for both teams."

Joos: "It is not the prehistory either... The Uruguayans already did social distancing."
[...]
Mulder: "So all that talk of DNA, passion and culture is a bit nonsense?"

Joos: "Now all the Belgian players sing the anthem too while previously they just didn't know the national anthem. Marketing and branding is the reason why they now sing. Really."

Host: "1990 was also the tournament that used the offside rule for the last time."

Joos: "Yes it's also... if you look with the eyes of now... I always say: that rule costs you 10-15-20 goals in a year. Because it was sufficient to play one opponent offside, regardless of whether the ball went to him. And they flagged right? Here it is by the way Scifo who at the left-back position triggers offside, but this would also be offside today. But then you have also moments as this... Six Uruguayans offside, the one where the ball went to wasn't, per the current rule. That is really an enormous difference in football, just as important as the backpass rule, with which Preud'homme coped very well."

Mulder: "But the mentality is also..."

Joos: "We could do that very well right? The offside trap."

Mulder: "True, true."

Host: "And so we are moving to the dream of your dad Youri, football without offside."

Mulder: "Figuratively speaking, Van Basten his house was almost burned by compatriots when he proposed that as FIFA technical manager. But the mentality of the linesmen is also changed, that is what I wanted to add."

Joos: "Now with the VAR entirely."

Host: "We also had a good defense there, that worked well. I'll give the viewers the names: Preud'homme, Gerets, Grün, De Mol, De Wolf. With that you can compete. That's often a base to work with."

Joos: "Yes, and with Franky van der Elst before them, who saw it all unfolding very well. Van der Elst wasn't there in 1986 after two games, and they hadn't trained for what to do in that scenario. Everyone contributed, but here a few of those phases put together. This was then, a lot was written about it then, the so called cage. In which we neutralized and went beyond Maradona in 1982. And it is a real cage, it happened fairly often. The Uruguayans who could play football well, had a great amount of attacking talent, Ruben Sosa here, was 'van geen kleintje vervaard' [means something like: being daring, brave, grit]. They were closed in. Here with Grun, Gerets and Clijsters. And what is often important after you recuperate, is the first ball. Here you see De Mol staying calm, dispossessing, and immediately playing out with a fine pass bringing Scifo into play. Then you can counter-attack. We didn't have it always easy, we used often the long ball with 10 men. Here comes De Wolf. Risky sliding tackle you can say, but 100% on the ball and no man touched. Versavel injures himself. But yeah, De Wolf... not an iconic red devil certainly but he did surprisingly well, also going forward.

Host: "We played for clarity against a good team, but also with a few weak links. Certainly that Perdomo, the defensive midfielder. He was a drama."

Joos: "Definitely, in this game at least. Here he marks completely on the wrong side, allows Ceulemans to play Versavel... Ceulemans is still lost... And here he is defensive midfielder and thinks 'my mates solve it'. No, as defensive screener you shouldn't think that. He hobbles along and eventually Ceulemans scores a well taken goal. This was also Perdomo: he thought he had a 'world shot'. Incomprehensible, to shoot from there to goal. Then another moment, has still not learned, thinks he can do this well. And this is the funniest scene... He played really a terrible match, and this is with Van der Elst, and Frankie says, pointing to the board, against that broad and muscular Uruguayan 'it is 3-0 dude'. And Perdomo said, because I called Frankie, that he would beat him up in the catacombs. He also waited for him in the players tunnel, but luckily for Frank, the Red Devil had to go to the drugs control. That's why he still lives." [laughter]

Host: "One last thing, the banners."

Joos: "It are the selfies of 1990. Now that is not possible any more because of the sponsors. It covers the sponsor boards or is in conflict with it."

--------------------------------------------

Hope you'll appreciate this. @PDG1978 @comme

 

Thank you, didn't know of this.

Basically the changes I make is Preud'homme instead of Piot; Van der Elst instead of Vandereycken; while Thissen and Mermans get replaced by the recent generation (Vertonghen and Hazard; Hazard positionally a better fit as Mermans without being a greater player necessarily, with as 'bonus' a better geographical spread and rewarding technical class here).

The central defenders I left open. For 1990 for instance the pair was Grun-Demol ahead of Albert or Clijsters (the latter playing in midfield against Uruguay, but replaced at half-time - with a man down - for a 'real' midfielder with better goal creation).

Maybe Vandereycken his 'dark arts' and physical game have led me to a too negative assessment overall, compared to the other VDE. Who I found more subtle in his play. I did mention him as one of the three options for that position though (Elst, VDE and, on national team contribution, Witsel)

 

As a trivia, Swartenbroeks also received the third highest honor of the KNVB after he had deliberately missed an unfairly gained penalty, albeit in a B-interland.

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armand_Swartenbroeks

He was made 'member of distinction' (and that really means Swartenbroeks was also KNVB member; maybe he already was member before application?). The two higher are 'federal knight' and 'honorary member' (which for example De Korver and Denis got elevated to, but not Lenstra, Cruijff or Gullit to the 1st category).

It's rare enough, and peculiar to be member of a foreign federation, to mention this as a peculiar trivia.

 

If I can't pick a modern player as left-back, and I have thought further about this, I think I'd take Renquin (who is given #5 by him) or Martens. Renquin was other than him being team captain (he left just before the scandal, returned after it to help them out) not particularly noticeable though. He needs a controversial incident for being remembered as more than only a name. Bit like Neal, he was reliable rather than glamorous, expansive and ostentatious.

Plus being one of the few of his country to have been among the best players in a tournament also helps to swing it in his way.

Anyway, I leave it at this then.