Brussels began a new Belgium chapter on Friday, but Mark van Bommel’s first squad announcement also brought a family moment from across the border: his 22-year-old son Ruben has earned a first senior call-up for the Netherlands.
The Belgium coach learned of Ruben van Bommel’s Netherlands selection while presenting his own inaugural group. The PSV attacker has endured a difficult season because of injury, making the news especially meaningful for a father who reached international football himself.
“I am very proud of him, as any father would be,” Van Bommel said. “I also played for my national team. It is the highest level a player can reach. And it has been a hard year for him because of his injury.”
Van Bommel, appointed Belgium manager on 15 August to replace Rudi Garcia, faces an immediate Nations League examination. His Red Devils will play four demanding matches in 11 days, beginning against Italy on 25 September before meetings with France, Turkey and France again.
Senior figures retained for demanding window
Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne are included in Van Bommel’s first selection, alongside young Spanish-Belgian forward Matías Fernández-Pardo. Yuri Tielemans will remain captain, while the new coach expects Belgium to begin with a 4-3-3 shape.
Van Bommel has spoken directly with the two established attacking leaders, holding a FaceTime conversation with Lukaku and meeting De Bruyne in Naples. He said both remain fully committed to the national side and will be important on the pitch and within the dressing room.
However, Lukaku should not be expected to complete all four fixtures during the international period.
Thibaut Courtois is absent after an agreement between the Real Madrid goalkeeper and Van Bommel. The coach travelled to Madrid for talks and said they jointly decided that Courtois would sit out this Nations League window.
Van Bommel said the situation would remain under review if circumstances change, while declining to promise the goalkeeper’s return. He stressed that Courtois remains among the world’s leading players, but said he fully understood the decision to miss the games and expressed confidence in Belgium’s available alternatives in goal.
Injuries, retirement and selection decisions
Belgium will also be without Manchester City winger Jérémy Doku, who is injured. Nice midfielder Axel Witsel, now 37, announced his international retirement this week.
More notable omissions include Milan attacker Alexis Saelemaekers, 27, and Sunderland defender Thomas Meunier, 35. Van Bommel insisted Saelemaekers has not been permanently discarded, pointing to the depth available in forward areas. He said he called the player the previous evening and that there was no issue beyond the present selection choice.
Meunier has likewise not been told that his Belgium career is over. Van Bommel said he currently preferred other options, though the defender disagreed and told him he expected to become important again. The coach welcomed that response.
A former PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and AC Milan midfielder who has also coached PSV, Wolfsburg and Antwerp, Van Bommel now starts his Belgium tenure with little time for a gentle introduction.
Belgium’s Nations League schedule
- 25 September: Italy
- 28 September: France
- 2 October: Turkey
- 5 October: France
