We are starting Group F with Belgium, the country that is chasing its first title in the World Cup.
BELGIUM
- Name in its native language: België
- Language: Dutch
- Capital: Brussels
- Currency: Euro (BRL 5.16 – currency exchange on 10/24/2022)
- Main player: Kevin De Bruyne
- Typical food: Chocolate
Curiosities
Belgium is a country that conquered its independence after Brazil. Until 1830, it was part of the Netherlands, which, in turn, only really recognized the Belgian independence in 1839.
Like the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, Belgium also has a king (King Filipe of Belgium, who holds the throne since 2013) and a parliamentary monarchy system.
Belgium is not a geographically large country – its territory is 30,688km² wide, and it is possible to cross the entire country in approximately 3 hours. But that doesn’t mean it is a boring country: the largest electronic music festival in the world, Tomorrowland, happens in the town of Boom, located in the surroundings of Antwerp, Belgium. Antwerp is also a city known for being the diamond capital of the world – 80% of rough diamonds worldwide are negotiated there, and there is a whole structure focused on this market in the city, which consists of brokers, who evaluate prices, 380 shops, and 3,500 cutters.
The Belgian economy is based on industry and exports. Belgium manufactures steel, chemicals, and construction materials and exports iron, lead, zinc, copper, coal, and diamonds in large quantities.
The country has 3 official languages: Dutch, French, and German. Dutch is spoken by 60% of its population, while French is spoken by 40%, and less than 1% of the population has German as a common language. In addition, most of its population speaks English fluently. Documents may require translations in the 3 official Belgian languages in order to be valid in its territory, which may involve a service quote for all three.
The Belgian cuisine has 2 elements which are known and consumed globally. The first one is the Fries, which were invented in Belgium and spread all over the world during World War II, when Belgian soldiers showed American soldiers how they ate potatoes, and the Americans then named the dish French fries, as the Belgian soldiers spoke French.
Today, there are restaurants in Belgium that specialize in fries, the so called Frituur, which are found across the entire country. The Belgian chocolate is another worldly famous food; Belgian produces around 170 tons of chocolate a year, and the Brussels International Airport is the place that sells the most chocolate in the world. On top of that, there are several chocolate workshops in Brussels.
The current Belgian team is referred to as Belgium’s Golden Generation, and it is said to be the most talented team in the country’s history. Its goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, was awarded the top-performing goalkeeper in the world by France Football, the magazine responsible for the Golden Ball award. In addition to Courtois, the Belgian team has the midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, who ranked 3rd in the top-performing player in the world award, and his team, Manchester City, was elected top-performing team in the season.
The Belgian team was responsible for eliminating Brazil from the last World Cup, winning the quarterfinals by 2×1. Kevin de Bruyne was the author of the second goal, which secured Belgium’s place in the semifinals, where the Belgians ended up losing to France.
With 4 years more experience for the team, the help of talented players, such as De Ketelaere, and the great phase of Kevin de Bruyne and Courtois, Belgium is the favorite in its group, and may be one of the teams to go farthest in this World Cup.
This was Eko’s in the World Cup – Belgium. If your liked it, follow our social media (Instagram: @ekostraducoes / LinkedIn: ekostraducoes) and come back next week, when we will talk about Canada.
