Belgium arrive at Monday’s Nations League meeting with France carrying the momentum of Rome, where Mark van Bommel began his tenure with a 2-0 victory over Italy. Yet on the eve of the Group A1 fixture, the new Belgian coach admitted there was one absence he would rather not have seen: France captain Kylian Mbappé.
Mbappé went off injured during France’s 1-0 win away to Turkey on Friday, Zinedine Zidane’s first match as the French coach. The forward has since returned to Real Madrid, whose medical update confirmed a hyperextension in his left knee. Van Bommel said he did not know the precise nature of the problem when he spoke, but regretted that one of the game’s leading players would not be involved.
“You always want to face the strongest footballers,” Van Bommel said. “It is a shame he cannot be there. I would have liked to see him play.”
The Belgium manager nevertheless has another compelling figure across the touchline in Zidane. Their latest meeting reunites two former opponents from Spanish football, with Van Bommel recalling his only appearance against the Frenchman: Barcelona’s 1-1 draw with Real Madrid at Camp Nou on 1 April 2006. He had remained among the substitutes for Barça’s 3-0 win at the Bernabéu on 19 November 2005.
Van Bommel spent only the 2005-06 campaign in Barcelona, but it brought a remarkable return of the Champions League, La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup. He spoke warmly of Zidane’s standing, both as a player and as a coach, noting that few footballers leave their name attached to a dribbling move without having made an exceptional mark on the game.
“Facing someone like him is something special,” he said. “He was an outstanding player, and he is clearly a very good coach too.”
For Belgium, the concern is to carry forward the attacking intent shown against Italy rather than simply protect an opening result. Van Bommel said his first messages to the squad had centred on energy and a willingness to work, with the acceptance that players can be beaten in individual moments without losing their resolve.
The weekend also gave the Dutchman a more personal reason to celebrate. A day before his Belgium debut, his son Ruben van Bommel made his first appearance for the Netherlands and created Cody Gakpo’s equaliser in a 1-1 match. Van Bommel watched on television with much of his Belgium staff, unable to be at the stadium but delighted by what he saw.
“Seeing your son make his Netherlands debut is already very special as a father,” he said. “Then he produces an assist like that. It was fantastic. I would have loved to be there, and the next day we beat Italy as well. They were two wonderful days.”
