Whether they're a member of one of the big teams or with minnows that are just happy to be taking part, players usually talk up their chances at a World Cup.
Ahead of Qatar, key players from practically every participating nation shared their hopes of making it to the latter stages; maybe even lifting the title. It's very unusual to hear a player admitting they have no chance, especially if they represent a tournament favourite.
It is a huge surprise, therefore, to hear Kevin De Bruyne – one of the best players in the world and a member of Belgium's golden generation – claim his country has zero chance of lifting the trophy in December.
“No chance, we’re too old," De Bruyne answered, when asked in a Guardian interview, published today, whether or not Belgium could win the World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
Belgium got off to a sluggish start in the tournament, defeating Canada 1-0 thanks to a first-half strike from Michy Batshuayi. They were poor throughout the match, however, with their North American opponents more than deserving of a point.
De Bruyne himself won the man of the match award, though he disagreed with the verdict, asking if his reputation was the only reason he was given the prize. Now, De Bruyne is on record claiming his nation are too old to win the tournament.
While it is true that many of Belgium's gifted generation have either retired or are over the age of 30 (defensive partnership Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld boasted 248 combined caps ahead of the Canada game, for instance), they are still considered one of the best teams on the planet. Indeed, they were ranked as the bets side in world football in the official FIFA rankings as recently as March.
De Bruyne's honesty may be seen as a breath of fresh air by some people, but his comments might not go down too well inside his own country. Or inside his own dressing room...
