The buzz: There was some concern the Belgium federation had gotten it wrong two years ago when they hired Roberto Martinez, a club coach who had only limited success in the English Premier League, to try to reignite dying embers of Belgium’s golden generation. But Martinez’s humble, quiet approach has transformed a national team that has long underachieved, taking it to the World Cup semifinals for just the second time.
The only unbeaten, untied team in the World Cup, Belgium has scored multiple goals in four of its five games and its roster reads like an EPL all-star team, with the likes of Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard, Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany and Kevin De Bruyne and Marouane Fellaini and Romelu Lukaku of Manchester United.