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Golden Generation
In sport, a Golden Generation, or Golden Team is an exceptionally gifted group of players of similar age, whose achievements reach or are expected to reach a level of success beyond that which their team had previously achieved. The term was first being cited by the media for Portugal's success during the FIFA Youth Championships in both 1989 and 1991. Alternatively, it can describe a group of players at a club, who typically are the same age group and often came through the club academy together. Often, a golden generation is given a nickname for example as 'The Class of 92' or 'The Bengan Boys'. Below is a list of teams who have been referred to by the media as golden generations, most of which played in the 21st century. Basketball Argentina (2000–2012) Led by Manu Ginóbili and accompanied by players like Luis Scola, Fabricio Oberto, Carlos Delfino, Andres Nocioni, Pablo Prigioni and Walter Herrmann, the Argentina national basketball team between 2000 and 2012 has ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sport
Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in a particular sport can vary from hundreds of people to a single individual. Sport competitions may use a team or single person format, and may be Open (sport), open, allowing a broad range of participants, or closed, restricting participation to specific groups or those invited. Competitions may allow a "tie" or "draw", in which there is no single winner; others provide tie-breaking methods to ensure there is only one winner. They also may be arranged in a tournament format, producing a champion. Many sports leagues make an annual champion by arranging games in a regular sports season, followed in some cases by playoffs. Sport is generally recognised as system of activities based in physical athleticism or physical de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belgium National Football Team
The Belgium national football team has represented Belgium in men's international Association football, football since Évence Coppée Trophy, their maiden match in 1904. The squad is under the global jurisdiction of FIFA and is governed in Europe by UEFA—both of which were co-founded by the Belgian team's supervising body, the Royal Belgian Football Association. Periods of regular Belgian representation at the highest international level, from 1920 to 1938, from 1980 to 2002 and again from 2014 onwards, have alternated with mostly unsuccessful qualification rounds. Most of Belgium's home matches are played at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. Belgium's national team have participated in three quadrennial major football competitions. It appeared in fourteen FIFA World Cups and six UEFA European Championships, and featured at three Olympic football tournaments, including the Football at the 1920 Summer Olympics, 1920 Summer Olympics which they won. Other notable performa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toby Alderweireld
Tobias Albertine Maurits Alderweireld (; born 2 March 1989) is a Belgian former professional association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, centre-back. Alderweireld began his professional career at Dutch club AFC Ajax, Ajax, where he won honours including three consecutive Eredivisie titles. In 2013, he moved to Atlético Madrid, where he won La Liga and reached the 2014 UEFA Champions League final, UEFA Champions League final in his first season. After a year on loan at Southampton F.C., Southampton, he moved to Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur in 2015 and once again reached the Champions League final in 2019 UEFA Champions League final, 2019. He left Tottenham in 2021, having made 236 official appearances in all competitions, to join Al-Duhail SC, Al-Duhail. After one season in Qatar, he returned to Belgium and signed for his hometown club Royal Antwerp F.C., Royal Antwerp, winning the Belgian Pro League in his first season ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thomas Vermaelen
Thomas Vermaelen (; born 14 November 1985) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a defender. Being left-footed, he usually played as a left-sided centre-back and could play at left-back as well. His key attributes included aerial ability, leadership skills, and his quickness with the ball at his feet. He was also known for his goalscoring ability as a defender. Vermaelen joined the Ajax youth academy in 2000 and won the 2003–04 Eredivisie title in his first season with the club. He had a loan spell with RKC Waalwijk before rejoining Ajax and winning the KNVB Cup and Johan Cruyff Shield. After Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's departure in 2009, he served as club captain for the remainder of the season. He joined Arsenal in 2009 and was included in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for that season. Following Robin van Persie's transfer to Manchester United in August 2012, he was named club captain but found first team opportunities limited due to the success of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marouane Fellaini
Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui (born 22 November 1987) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Etterbeek to Moroccan parents, Fellaini played youth football for Anderlecht, R.A.E.C. Mons, Royal Francs Borains and Charleroi before joining Standard Liège. After winning the Belgian Pro League and the Ebony Shoe as a Liège player, he moved to England to join Everton. At Everton, Fellaini was the club's Young Player of the Season for 2008–09, when the club were losing finalists in the FA Cup. After five years at Everton, he transferred to Manchester United in a deal worth £27.5 million in September 2013. Fellaini spent over five years at Manchester United, helping the club win four trophies including the FA Cup, EFL Cup and UEFA Europa League. After more than a decade in England in total, Fellaini joined Chinese Super League club Shandong Taishan in February 2019. A full international for the Belgium national team from 2007 until hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dries Mertens
Dries "Ciro" Mertens (; born 6 May 1987) is a free agent Belgian professional Association football, footballer who last played as a Forward (association football), forward or Winger (association football), winger for Süper Lig club Galatasaray S.K. (football), Galatasaray. As a youth, Mertens played for K. Stade Leuven, Stade Leuven, R.S.C. Anderlecht, Anderlecht and K.A.A. Gent, Gent, and made his debut on loan to SC Eendracht Aalst, Eendracht Aalst in the Belgian Third Division. In 2006, he moved to Dutch Eerste Divisie club AGOVV Apeldoorn, where he spent three years before a €600,000 move to FC Utrecht, Utrecht of the Eredivisie. Two years later, Mertens and teammate Kevin Strootman were transferred to PSV Eindhoven for a combined fee of €13 million, and won the KNVB Cup and Johan Cruyff Shield in 2012. In 2013, Mertens signed for SSC Napoli, Napoli for a €9.6 million fee, and went on to make nearly 400 appearances for the club. He won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mousa Dembélé (Belgian Footballer)
Moussa Sidi Yaya Dembélé (born 16 July 1987), known as Mousa Dembélé, is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. Dembélé started his career at Belgian Pro League team Germinal Beerschot before spells at Eredivisie sides Willem II and AZ in the Netherlands. He won the league title and the Johan Cruyff Shield with the latter in 2009. Dembélé transferred to Premier League side Fulham in 2010 before joining Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £15 million in August 2012. He was ranked 91st in ''The Guardian''s list of the 100 best current footballers in 2012. Dembélé accumulated 82 caps for the Belgium national team from 2006 to 2018. Early life Dembélé was born in Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium. His father Yaya is Malian, while his mother, Tilly Huygens, is Belgian of Flemish ethnicity. Dembélé is a Muslim. Dembélé uses the spelling "Mousa" for his first name (e.g. on his Twitter account), and so do his club, national team and most ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Axel Witsel
Axel Laurent Angel Lambert Witsel (born 12 January 1989) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre-back for club Atlético Madrid and the Belgium national team. He originally also played in more offensive roles such as central or attacking midfielder. Witsel began his career at hometown club Standard Liège, making 183 appearances and scoring 42 goals while winning five domestic trophies. He was awarded the Belgian Golden Shoe in 2008. After a season in Portugal with Benfica, he signed for Zenit Saint Petersburg for a €40 million fee in 2012. Witsel won four honours during his time in Russia, before leaving for Tianjin Quanjian in January 2017. He returned to Europe with Borussia Dortmund in August 2018. With the Bundesliga side, Witsel won the 2019 DFL-Supercup and the 2020–21 DFB-Pokal. Witsel made his senior international debut in 2008 and earned his 100th cap for Belgium on 15 November 2018. He represented the country at th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yannick Carrasco
Yannick Ferreira Carrasco (born 4 September 1993) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays for Saudi Pro League club Al-Shabab and the Belgium national team. A versatile player, Carrasco can be deployed as a left midfielder, left wing-back, left winger or left-back. Carrasco began his career with Monaco, where he scored 20 goals in 105 professional games, winning Ligue 2 in his first season and finishing runner-up in Ligue 1 in the second. In 2015, he joined La Liga side Atlético Madrid for a reported €20 million, scoring the equaliser as Atlético lost the 2016 UEFA Champions League final. After a two-year spell with Dalian Professional in the Chinese Super League, Carrasco returned to Atlético in 2020, winning a La Liga title, before departing again for Al-Shabab in 2023. Carrasco made his international debut for Belgium in April 2015. He played at the UEFA European Championship in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and was part of their squad that came third at the 2018 FIFA ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jan Vertonghen
Jan Bert Lieve Vertonghen (; born 24 April 1987) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a defender. Mainly a centre-back, he also played as a left-back. Vertonghen began his senior career at Dutch club Ajax in 2006, and totalled 220 games and 28 goals for them across all competitions, serving as their captain from 2011 to 2012. He won two Eredivisie and two KNVB Cup titles during his time at the club, and in 2012 was named Dutch Footballer of the Year. Vertonghen transferred to Tottenham Hotspur in July 2012, and made the PFA Team of the Year in his first Premier League season. He made 315 appearances for Spurs over eight years, as well as reaching the 2019 UEFA Champions League final, and was named the club's Player of the Year in 2018. After spending two seasons with Portuguese club Benfica, he joined Anderlecht in 2022. At 37, he became the club's oldest player, surpassing club icon Olivier Deschacht, before retiring from the sport in 2025. Vertonghen m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Nicolas Marc Courtois (; ; born 11 May 1992) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Belgium national team. Regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he is known for his reflexes, acrobatic saves, and command of the penalty area. Courtois began his career with Genk and made his senior debut in 2009, at age 16; he went on to establish himself as the club's starting goalkeeper and won the Belgian Pro League. In 2011, Courtois signed for Chelsea in a transfer worth a reported £8 million (€9 million), but then joined Atlético Madrid on loan. At Atlético, Courtois won a La Liga title, the Copa del Rey, the Europa League, and reached the UEFA Champions League final. He returned to Chelsea in 2014 and won two Premier League titles and the EFL Cup. In 2018, Courtois signed for Real Madrid in a deal worth a reported £35 million (€38.8 million), becoming La Liga's most expensive goal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku Bolingoli (; born 13 May 1993) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for club SSC Napoli, Napoli and the Belgium national football team, Belgium national team. Lukaku began his senior club career playing for R.S.C. Anderlecht, Anderlecht, where he won a 2009–10 Belgian Pro League, Belgian Pro League title and finished as the league's 2009–10 Belgian Pro League#Top goalscorers, top goalscorer. In 2011, he joined Chelsea in a Transfer (association football), transfer worth £10 million (€12 million), but limited playing time resulted in Loan (association football), loans to West Bromwich Albion F.C., West Bromwich Albion and Everton F.C., Everton; in 2014, Lukaku signed with Everton in a then List of most expensive association football transfers, club-record transfer worth £28 million (€32 million), going on to finish as the league's 2016–17 Premier League#Top scorers, second-top go ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
