Kevin de Bruyne (foto: Getty Images)
According to French media, their Euro 2024 Round of 16 clash against Belgium is a done deal.
If the Belgians lacked motivation for their upcoming match against the Tricolores, they can find inspiration in various French media reports that describe Belgium as "nothing."
"Today, Belgium is a used car. There's one taxi driver, that's De Bruyne. You give him a player and nothing remains. Desert. I have no doubt the Blues will reach the quarter-finals," said former rugby player Eric Blanc in an interview with L'Équipe.
"Are you telling me that on Monday this team, in such a state of mind, with fan issues... will manage to stand up? I don't believe it. Even if I was never impressed by the way the French team plays, the difference is night and day. We are above these guys. I saw a team that was completely abandoned. The Belgians are nothing, I'm sorry to say."
"If we can't beat these Belgians..."
"Honestly, these poor Belgians have caused me much pain. I find them completely insignificant. If anyone can explain to me how they play, I'd be grateful. I don't see why we should be afraid. If we can't beat these Belgians, we have no business being in the European Championship," said former French international Christophe Dugarry to RMC Sport.
However, not everyone in France is so optimistic. Jérôme Rothen, another former international, had a different view of the Belgian team.
"Yes, we should fear Belgium. But fear doesn't stop us from being ambitious. Individually, Belgium has players who play in very good teams. When we see Doku's progress, Trossard's season, De Bruyne, who is one of the best players in the Premier League, and behind him, players used to the Premier League's pace, like Onana and Tielemans, I say to myself that, yes, we can be in trouble, individually speaking," he emphasized.
"Also, look at what happened since the World Cup. The Belgians were bad in Qatar, but they changed their coach and have won almost all their matches since then. Together, they have shown greater quality than France in the past year," concluded Rothen.