Much has been made of Belgium's ‘Golden Generation' over the past decade and just like England's version in the 2000s, they have failed to deliver on the biggest stage.
One key member of the Golden Generation is Kevin de Bruyne and he is still playing for his country while the likes of Eden Hazard and Marouane Fellaini have sailed off into the sunset.
The Manchester City midfielder has looked decent so far at Euro 2024 and was man of the match in Belgium's 0-0 draw with Ukraine on Wednesday evening.
While that result was enough to secure Belgium's place in the Round of 16, it does mean that they qualified as Group E runners-up and now have to face France in the first knockout round.
Belgium's performance on the day was sluggish and uninspiring, and the Belgian fans inside the stadium weren't prepared to let their team get away with it.
Kevin de Bruyne isn't happy with Belgium fans
After the full-time whistle went in Stuttgart, de Bruyne led his teammates over to the Belgium fans to applaud them for their support during the match. However, instead of receiving warm applause back, de Bruyne was hit by a loud chorus of boos.
The Man City man was visibly unimpressed with the actions of the Belgians fans and turned his back on them before ushering the rest of his teammates away, telling them to head down the tunnel rather than go over to the travelling fans.
Belgium fans booed the team after insipid 0-0 draw vs. Ukraine, leading Kevin De Bruyne to tell his teammates not to clap supporters. 🇧🇪
Vibes are atrocious. Red Devils, France & England in a race to do the least with the most talent at Euro 2024. 😳 pic.twitter.com/Wt1Mj6r3CG
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) June 26, 2024
On one hand, de Bruyne's actions are somewhat understandable given that Belgium have qualified for the knockout stages. However, on the other, this is a group they should have topped with ease. If they had, they would now be in the ‘easier' half of the draw and in with a good chance of going deep in the competition.
Instead, they have landed on the difficult side of the draw and their fans will now have to travel to Dusseldorf to see them take on France. Anything other than a win against Didier Deschamps' men and De Bruyne and Co can expect even louder boos on Monday evening.