Kevin De Bruyne, a playmaker for Belgium, acknowledged that his team’s aging roster makes them an outside chance to win the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.
When comparing the average age of the team, Belgium is the sixth-oldest team in Qatar.
Jan Vertonghen (35) and Toby Alderweireld (33) are two of their most important players in defense. De Bruyne (31), Eden Hazard (31) and Dries Mertens (35) are also in their 30s.
Despite a lackluster and uninspired performance, Belgium defeated Canada 1-0 in their opening World Cup match thanks to a goal from Michy Batshuayi.
De Bruyne, who currently plays for Premier League champions Manchester City, responded to the Guardian’s question about whether Belgium could win the World Cup this year as follows:
“No chance, we are too old.
“I think our chance was in 2018. We have a good team, but it is aging. We lost some key players.
“We have some good new players coming, but they are not at the level other players were in 2018. I see us more as outsiders.”