Football Wonderkid Scout

Romelu Lukaku:

The teenage sensation has been hailed as the most talented player in all of Anderlecht's history. Described as the next Didier Drogba, he is strong, powerful and lethal in front of goal. At just 16 years of age, he has the pick of any club in Europe with Chelsea and Real Madrid linked. Already capped at international level, Lukaku is a born goal machine.

Steven Defour:
The highly rated midfielder joined Standard from Genk in the summer of 2006 and has had a big influence in guiding Liege to league titles in 2008 and 2009. The 21-year old playmaker who has recently signed a new contract until 2015 has not gone unnoticed with Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool all believed to be keeping tabs on the international.

Dedryk Boyata:
The 20 year-old defender who can operate at left-back or in the centre is tall, strong and powerful. He recently made his breakthrough at Manchester City after making his debut against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup in January 2010. Kolo Toure has already seen enough to believe Boyata can become one of the best defenders at the club.

Having failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, things have become so desperate for the Belgian Football Federation that they have embraced legends such as Enzo Scifo and Jan Ceulemans in their advertising campaigns to draw crowds to the games. With the national team in disarray they have failed to reach the last two World Cups and have only featured once in the European Championships since 1984 and that was when they were co-hosts in 2000. While the outlook may appear bleak, every cloud has a silver lining. In Belgium there is a new generation of talent coming through which may make them a competitive force on the international stage. If ever there was a bookmaker willing to take a bet, then you may be tempted to to have a look at Belgium as possible outsiders to win the World Cup in Brazil 2014. While it may sound an incredibly unattractive proposition right now, there is an impressive crop of precocious players aged between 16 to 22 years-old. Last time Belgium had such a talented group of players they reached the semi-final of the 1986 World Cup thanks to the like Enzo Scifo, Jean-Marie Pfaff, Jan Ceulemans and Eric Gerets. Infrastructure and knowhow can guarantee a steady stream of good players but you need greats ones to succeed in international football. The quality of Belgian football in terms of coaching, scouting and infrastructure has not changed much over the past 30 years relative to its neighbours. It is heavily influenced by its neighbours such as Germany, France and the Netherlands, and has above average facilities compared to the rest of the continent. Immigration has helped in bringing diversity which may be a factor, but it is not a new phenomenon and not a decisive one either as otherwise Belgium would have produced a strikingly talented generation of footballers in he previous generations. What should be noted is that there is still a certain genetic randomness to when and where great players are born, although if you have a bigger population then the odds are that you will have more great players coming through.

Of the already established international guard, there is Thomas Vermaelen, a defensive rock providing stability and leadership. A future captain of his country, Arsenal's Thomas Vermalen has looked a class act in his first full season in the English Premiership since his £11m move from Ajax. At just 24-years of age he will be the main feature for national coach Georges Leekens to build his side around. There is also the highly versatile Vincent Kompany who can operate in defence or in midfield. Since his move to Manchester City from Hamburg, the 23 year old has been an influential factor in the club's push for the fourth Champions League position. When looking at the current national team, it is the midfield which brings so much promise. The emerging success of Standard Liege in Europe, with both the Champions League and Uefa Cup has put many of their Belgian wonderkids in the spotlight. First was Marouane Fellani, the 22 year-old currently playing his trade at Everton, earning rave reviews after a number of impressive performances in the holding midfield role. Europe's elite are already believed to be circling with Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid all linked with a move for the imposing midfielder. At well over six foot he adds physical presence and is a good tackler of the ball with an eye for goal. Still with Standard Leige are current internationals Steven Defour and Alex Witsel. Defour who is 21 years-old, is a natural leader and helped propel Standard Liege into the Champions League. Some eye-catching performances in the Genk midfield meant he was soon drawing the attention of Belgium's top clubs and it was Standard Liege who pounced, signing him up in 2006. Defour is currently one of the hottest properties in Europe with just about every Premier League club having scouted him at some point in the last year. An elegant player, the playmaking midfielder is known for his excellent passing and vision. In October 2009, Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson admiration was revealed when he sent the young prodigy get well wishes after breaking a bone in his foot. Playing alongside Defour at Standard Liege, is Alex Witsel, one of the hottest properties in Europe. Previously linked with Inter Milan, Manchester United, Man City and Arsenal, Witsel is a defensive midfielder who has played a huge part in Standard’s back to back league title wins. Individually the player has also won a number of accolades including the Belgian Young Football of the Year award in 2008 as well as the Belgian Golden Shoe for being the best player in the Belgian top division last season.

Belgium's brightest prospects and best promise come in the form of Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukakau. Hailed as the next Cristiano Ronaldo for his flair, raw pace and trickery, Hazard is one of the most sought after players in Europe. The attacking midfielder who is just 19 years-old currently plays for Lille and is attracting attention from the likes of Inter Milan, Barcelona and Manchester United. Real Madrid's presidential advisor Zinedine Zidane has urged big-spending Florentino Perez to make the winger his next signing. The Belgian wonderkid has 11 caps to his name after making his debut for the national team against Luxembourg at the age of 17 in November 2008. Having only recently signed a new contract to stay at Lille until 2014, the French club may be unable to hold off so many of Europe's big guns. Reports in France claim Arsene Wenger has put in a person call to the Lille wonderkid in an attempt to tempt him to join Arsenal. Wenger will fancy his chances of landing the playmaker, as he has admitted in the past that he would favour a move to North London. 'Real Madrid and Arsenal are the clubs I dreamed of joining as a child,' he said late last year. Recent performances in the Europa league against Everton and Liverpool suggest that Hazard is not just hype and looks to have all the attributes to make it to the top. Romelu Lukaku is perhaps the greatest Belgian prospect of all. At just 16 years-old he is breaking records all over the show and has already been capped at international level. Son of former player Roger Lukaku, he recently became the youngest ever play to top the scoring charts of the Jupiler League for Anderlecht in Belgium's top flight. Described as the next Didier Drogba, there are many similarities that can be drawn from his idol, from the way he stands, the arms slightly off his hips like a gunslinger and his goal celebrations, either a chest thump or a simple look to the sky. Many believe he is the most talented player in all of Anderlechts history and at 6ft 2 inches and 14 stones it seems hard to believe he is still a teenage. Strong, powerful, quick and lethan in front of goal, Lukaku can play with both feet. The dynamite from Brussels recently signed a contract for five years with a clause that says after three years he can review the last two. That would take him to May 2012 at Anderlecht, when he would be 19, and his father seems determined that he should at least reach his 18th birthday with the Belgian powerhouse. As a youngster, Lukaku scored 68 goals with FC Brussels and then scored 59 with Anderlecht Under 15s, 34 with their Under 17s and 26 with the club's Under 19s.

Kevin Mirallas who is 22 years of age has been slowed by injuries, but is a dangerous attacking midfield player or striker with bags of potential. Moussa Dembélé, 22, another dynamic attacker, played a key role as AZ Alkmaar won the Dutch title last season. Between the sticks, Belgium have two promising talents in Simon Mignolet and Logan Bailly. Mignolet has been in superb form for Sint Truiden and his good performances haven't gone unnnoticed in the rest of Europe with Udinese and PSV keen on the highly rated Belgian Under 21 goalkeeper. With his contract set to expire in 2011, the Belgian side are widely expected to cash in this summer. Logan Bailly who has already been capped at international level, currently plays for Borussia Mönchengladbach after impressing for Genk and taking them to second in the league. He looks to have adapted to the Bundisliga well and has posted a number of impressive displays. Other noticeable talents emerging in the youth ranks are Dedryck Boyata currently at Manchester City and Maxime Lestienne of Club Brugge. Boyata who stands at 6 foot 2 inches, is a defender who was part of Man City's 2008 FA Youth Cup winning side and recently made his first team debut against Middlesbrough in January 2010 in a 1-0 win. Despite the super rich club's expensive outlay on a number of the world's biggest stars, Boyata has managed to breakthrough and has been capped up to Under 21 level for Belgium. Maxime Lestienne is just 17 years of age and recently signed for Club Brugge, fending off interest from some of Europe's elite. The winger known for his pace, dribbling skills and technical ability is capped to Under 18 level.