Belgium stars are on vacation after suffering a heartbreaking early exit from the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The 2018 semi-finalists flopped in Qatar, appearing to be on their last legs as they fell at the first hurdle.
An unconvincing 1-0 victory over Canada was followed by a 2-0 defeat to surprise package Morocco.
Roberto Martinez’s side performed better against Croatia in their final group match, but a series of inexplicable misses by Romelu Lukaku saw them fail to secure the win they needed to advance.
This Belgium side was ranked number one in the world in February and their collection of star names have been fancied to do well in recent tournaments but this is the latest in a list of disappointments for their supporters.
On the biggest stages, their ‘golden generation’ has not lived up to expectations, failing to reach a major final despite their array of talented players.
Belgium, whose key players are approaching the latter stages of their careers, probed for a breakthrough at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium but even Kevin de Bruyne who captained the side in place of the dropped Eden Hazard could not inspire his side.
Lukaku, 29, is required back at Inter Milan training on Saturday, but several other Belgian stars have whisked themselves away on holiday.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has gone to the Maldives with his stunning fiancee Mishel Gerzig.
The happy couple looked thrilled as they cuddled up for a romantic picture, which Courtois later posted to Instagram.
Real Madrid’s No1 won’t be back in action until December 30, when the Spanish champions resume their campaign with a trip to Valladolid.
Thibaut Courtois made his debut for the Belgian team at the age of 19 in 2011. He was a regular member of the team during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He also was a part of the team during the 2016 Euros, 2018 World Cup, and 2020 Euros.
The shot-stopper has been in some rhythm since then as he has managed to achieve 77 clean sheets in 195 appearances for Madrid to date.
Kevin De Bruyne, meanwhile, has taken his family to Lapland.
While Courtois is enjoying the sunshine of the Maldives, De Bruyne has been huddled around a camp fire in minus four degrees alongside wife Michele Lacroix and children Mason, six, Rome, four, and Suri, two.
Belgium was stalked by rumors of in-fighting in Qatar and a number of the country’s other stars including Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois have likely played their final World Cup matches for Belgium.
Exciting youngster Jeremy Doku hasn’t gone far – taking a one hour flight from Doha to Dubai to enjoy some more sun.
Aston Villa ace Leander Dendoncker, meanwhile, has gone further east to Japan with girlfriend Anna Steegen.
These Belgian stars will have another chance to right the wrongs of their Qatar 2022 experience.
But one man that won’t have another crack is Eden Hazard.
The Real Madrid ace has retired from international duty aged 31 after earning 126 caps for his country.
Hazard, who played as an attacking midfielder or winger, made his Belgium debut in 2008 as a teenager and collected a total of 126 caps, scoring 33 goals.
He was the standard-bearer of Belgium’s much-vaunted “golden generation,” which reached the semifinals at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
