Kevin De Bruyne has been named the new captain of the Belgian national team following the retirement of Eden Hazard.

After Belgium’s early elimination from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which also signalled the end of former coach Roberto Martinez’s tenure, Eden Hazard made the decision to leave the international game. Domenico Tedesco, Martinez’s successor, was then given the task of selecting a new leader for the Red Devils.

Before to their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, the 37-year-old boss named De Bruyne as Belgium’s new captain. The Manchester City player has 97 caps for his country and 25 goals at the international level.

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“It’s an honour for me to be named and represent the country in this way,” De Bruyne told RTL-TVI television after the announcement.

“I’m almost 32. I’ve never considered international retirement. I think I can still bring something to the table and help the youngsters.”

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Inter forward Romelu Lukaku have been chosen as the two vice-captains.

De Bruyne has previously captained Belgium on multiple occasions, notably against Croatia in their last 2022 World Cup group-stage match.

In a 2024 European Championship Qualification on Friday against Sweden, De Bruyne will begin his tenure as the full-time captain of Belgium.

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Kalvin Phillips has backed England teammate Harry Maguire to disprove any critics at Saturday’s World Cup quarterfinal against France.

The Manchester United defender was dropped from his club’s starting XI before the World Cup, but he remains an important component in Gareth Southgate’s international setup. He has started all four games in Qatar so far, but French media has singled him out as a weak link.

L’Equipe said the former Leicester centre-back’s pace “could prove detrimental to the England rear guard” against France’s speedsters, suggesting Southgate could move to a three-player defence to counter the likes of Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.

With Kylian Mbappe dominating the scoring charts with five goals so far, including two in the last-16 victory over Poland, Les Bleus have emerged as a strong favourite to defend their 2018 title.

Despite the fact that Kyle Walker would probably be Maguire’s stronger opponent, there has been discussion that Mbappe will deliberately target the 29-year-old. However, Manchester City midfielder Phillips believes that Mbappe is up to the challenge.\

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He said: “Harry’s not played as much football as he probably would have liked this season and got a lot of stick, which I think is very undeserved.

“He’s a top professional and a great footballer. When he plays for Manchester United he’s one of the best defenders.

“For England, he’s been one of the top defenders for a long time, especially at tournaments. He’s always been that player when we have set pieces or we need to block or to make a challenge, he’s always the first one to do it. He’s always the first one to get his head to the ball. He’s scored some very important goals as well.

“For a lot of people, because he has been mocked quite a lot, he’s the first one they go to.

“If anything bad happened in the England team, he’d be the first person anything would be said about. It’s undeserved. If you look at the major tournaments he has played in and how well he has done in them, you can’t really mock him because he’s been unbelievable.”

With England, Maguire has participated in the 2018 World Cup and the Euro 2020 tournaments thus far, scoring in the quarterfinal wins over Sweden and Ukraine, respectively. On Saturday night at Al Bayt Stadium, there will be a match against France.

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In Qatar, the FIFA World Cup 2022 is already well underway, and like in previous tournaments, surprises are to be expected. It is normal for an underdog to pull off an incredible victory over one of the teams thought to be superior in every FIFA World Cup.

The FIFA World Cup 2022 has only been going on for three days, but already the competition has been lit up by some amazing performances. We have seen significant one-sided outcomes, boring draws, and most importantly, upsets.

Is there anything that makes a football fan happier than an upset? What makes football the best sport in the world is when underdogs or little football nations defeat giants. In FIFA World Cup 2022, nothing has changed.

Japan shocked Germany, following Saudi Arabia’s surprising victory against tournament favourites Argentina on Tuesday.

In both cases, the victorious team overcame early deficits to surprise the more well-known side and rewrite history.

In this article, Mp3bullet have examined the six biggest surprises from previous FIFA World Cups.

• 2002 World Cup – {South Korea 2-1 Italy}.

Co-hosts Guus Hiddink’s South Korea team performed admirably during the FIFA World Cup in 2002. In a game marred by referee mistakes, the Asians upset one of the tournament favourites to get to the quarterfinals.

Italy was one of the favourites to win the title because they had many of the top players in the world in their prime. In the first half, Christian Vieri gave Azzurri the lead as South Korea faced a reduced but still talented Italy team.

Seol Ki-Hyeon scored an equalizer in the 88th minute, and Ahn Jung-Hwan scored the game-winning goal with a header in the 117th.

South Korea lost to Germany in the semifinals and Turkey in the third-place playoff in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which was played on home soil, however, that was their best-ever performance at a FIFA World Cup.

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• 2002 World Cup – {Senegal 1-0 France}.

When France faced debutants Senegal in their group stage opening, they were aiming to defend their FIFA World Cup title. Despite having other elite players and playing without influential midfielder Zinedine Zidane due to injury, Les Bleus shockingly fell short against Senegal.

Senegal sought to demonstrate that it was no pushover and that it was a power to be feared. After only 30 minutes of play, the Lions of Teranga scored a goal through Papa Bouba Diop and then proceeded to defend desperately. They managed to hang on to the victory, a significant one for them.

With just one point from three games, France was eliminated from the competition in the group stage. On the other side, Senegal advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to Turkey by a solitary goal.

• 2014 World Cup – {Costa Rica 1 – 0 Italy}.

The Central American underdog, Costa Rica, had to be the subject of an underdog tale created by the footballing gods. They not only defeated four-time champion Italy 1-0, but they also won their group, which included England and Uruguay. They eventually advanced to the quarterfinal round, when they were eliminated by the Netherlands on penalties.

Their victory over the 2012 Euro finalists in Italy, though, was definitely their defining moment. The game’s deciding goal came from a header by Bryan Ruiz in the 44th minute. For the first time in 24 years, they were guaranteed entry into the knockout rounds thanks to the victory. However, the highly anticipated European duo of England and Italy were eliminated.

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• 2018 World Cup – {South Korea 2-0 Germany}.

The defending champions from 2014 Like every World Cup, Germany entered the competition with great hopes. They were, however, in for a harsh awakening as they crashed out of the group stages after losing to a new “Loew” under manager Joachim Loew. In a group that also included South Korea, Mexico, and Sweden, Germany came in last.

Germany lost 0-2 against South Korea in their final group-stage match with qualification on the line. The Asian team, despite simply competing for pride, put up a defensive performance of the highest calibre under the direction of veteran Dutchman Guus Hiddink.

South Korea managed to pull off a surprising victory by scoring twice in stoppage time after fending off the German blitzkrieg the entire game without conceding. As a result, Germany failed to advance past the group stage for the first time since 1938.

• 2022 World Cup – {Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia}.

Saudi Arabia’s defeat of Argentina in Qatar, probably the biggest surprise in FIFA World Cup history, shocked the favourites. La Albiceleste won the Copa America after going 36 games without a loss since 2019.

After going in front through a Lionel Messi penalty ten minutes into the game, Argentina lost to a quickfire double from Saudi Arabia in five second-half minutes. Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari scored in the 48th and 53rd minutes, respectively, to hand Saudi Arabia a hard-earned win over Argentina.

The most notable performance or outcome by an Arab nation in the World Cup thus far was Saudi Arabia’s victory over Argentina. La Albiceleste must regroup for the remainder of the group stage after being stunned in Lusail.

• 2022 World Cup – {Germany 1-2 Japan}.

The rebels are winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The best day in Saudi Arabian football history will always be November 22. After their illustrious victory over Argentina, the Saudi King proclaimed a day of celebration in their memory. A similar response appears to be in store for today in the streets of Tokyo after Japan surprised Germany at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.

Ilkay Gundogan’s first-half penalty gave the Germans the advantage early on, and they appeared to be in complete control. Japan, like the Saudis, however, displayed tenacity and spirit to pull off an incredible comeback. Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano each scored late goals for the Samurai Blue to pull off the shocker.

Until 2018, Germany hadn’t gone out from the group stages at FIFA World Cups since 1938. Germany might lose to Spain on Sunday and leave the group stage once more.

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English football club Tottenham Hotspur have suffered an injury setback ahead of the upcoming North London Derby match with Arsenal.

Tottenham are sweating on Dejan Kulusevski’s fitness after the midfielder suffered a muscle injury while on international duty with Sweden, the UK Metro reports.

On Saturday, Antonio Conte’s team plays rival Arsenal at the Emirates. Spurs are looking to continue their unbeaten start to the season.

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But Conte might be without Kulusevski after he reported back to London with a tight hamstring on Wednesday.

The Swedish player complained of a muscle problem and underwent a scan at their training facility.

During the international break, the winger started both of Sweden’s Nations League games against Slovenia and Serbia. Should he miss the derby, Heung-Min Son and Richarlison can be expected to provide support for Harry Kane in the attack.

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The World Cup competition is often regarded as the best in football history, and here are some of the event’s most memorable moments.

1. Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ (Argentina vs England 1986 World Cup quarter-final)

Argentine player Diego Maradona scored the famous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in the 1986 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.

Due to Maradona’s use of his hand, the goal was not supposed to stand under association football regulations, but because the officials did not have a clear view of the event and video assistant referee technology (VAR) did not exist, it stood to give Argentina a 1-0 lead. Argentina went on to win the game 2-1, with Maradona scoring the game’s second goal.

2. Diego Maradona’s ‘Goal of the Century’ (Argentina vs England 1986 World Cup quarter-final)

After scoring a controversial goal (Hand of God), Diego Maradona went on to score what became known as the “Goal of the Century.”

Maradona took the ball in his own half and beat every defender before putting it past the goalkeeper, Peter Shilton. A tremendous goal indeed!

3. Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt (France vs. Italy World Cup final 2006)

Zinedine Zidane, one of the greatest football players of all time, was involved in one of the most controversial World Cup moments in history.

During the 2006 World Cup final between France and Italy, the veteran footballer headbutted rival player Materazzi. Materazzi and Zidane got into a heated disagreement, which resulted in the Frace captain losing his cool and headbutting his rival.

As a result, he received a red card, thereby ending his international career.

4. Gordon Banks’ ‘Save Of The Century’ (England vs Brazil 1970)

This historic moment occurred during the 1970 World Cup group stages between England and Brazil when keeper Gordon Banks made a spectacular save from Pelé.

Pele’s downward header was on its way to the back of the net when Banks made a stunning save diving away to his right.

5. Referee Clive Thomas blows final whistle as Brazil ‘score’ late goal (Brazil vs Sweden 1978)

Another historic moment of the World Cup occurred during a World Cup game between Brazil and Sweden.

Clive Thomas, a Welsh referee, denied Brazil a late goal against Sweden. With the scores tied at 1-1, the Brazilians swung in a late corner kick, which Zico headed home. The goal was disallowed by the referee, who blamed the Brazilians for wasting time while taking the corner.

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