Belgium’s golden generation is often judged by the trophies it did not win. Alderweireld’s case is that such a verdict ignores the quality of the team’s best performances, particularly the reported 2-1 quarter-final victory over Brazil.
That match followed a dramatic comeback against Japan, with Belgium recovering from two goals down to win 3-2. It was a tournament-defining response: technically gifted, dangerous in transition and capable of finding solutions under pressure.
The Brazil victory also carried extra weight because the opponent had been widely viewed as one of the tournament favourites. For Alderweireld, it was proof that Belgium could deliver against elite opposition when the stakes were highest.
The report says Belgium’s run ended with a 1-0 semi-final defeat to eventual champions France, before a victory over England secured third place. That finish remains the best World Cup result in the country’s history, yet it has often been treated as evidence of falling short rather than a landmark achievement.
That is the frustration behind Alderweireld’s argument. A single narrow defeat in the semi-finals can dominate the memory of a campaign that also included strong attacking football, a resilient knockout win and victory over one of the competition’s heavyweight teams.
“It was historic for Belgium,” Alderweireld added. His wider point is that the team belonged among the sides that played the best football in Russia, even without reaching the final.
Belgium’s generation featuring Alderweireld, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne may ultimately be remembered for an incomplete trophy cabinet. But that should not erase its competitive peak.
As the next Belgian generation develops, the question will be whether it can turn that standard of performance into a final or a major title. For now, Alderweireld’s defence of 2018 offers a different measure of success: not just what Belgium won, but whom it overcame and how close it came.