Kevin De Bruyne, 31, who will play in his third World Cup, is one of the great players who lacked real international acclaim in his career.
The Belgian playmaker is beloved by teammate and manager Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and admired by his England rivals, who have named him Player of the Year in two of the last three seasons.
A team-first attitude, a visionary view of the big picture, and lethal long-range shots all come together.
However, Kevin de Bruyne still does not have a Champions League title, only to finish in the top three this year when voting for the Ballon d'Or or FIFA Best Player award. He finished third in the Ballon d'Or vote won by five-time Champions League champion Karim Benzema.
His best accolade may be Pep Guardiola calling him the best midfielder in the world in 2020.
Now, the World Cup in Qatar seems to be his last chance to help Belgium win a major tournament for the first time.
The Belgians have been stopped 1-0 in the last two World Cups, beaten by Argentina in the quarterfinals in 2014 and then by France in the semifinals in 2018. The European Championship also had a quarter-final withdrawal, beaten by Wales in 2016 and stopped by eventual champions Italy at Euro 2020.
Between the disappointment of Belgian red, De Bruyne always looks majestic in the sky blue of Manchester City. Since joining in 2015, he is at the heart of four Premier League titles.
For almost a decade, Belgium has been ready for the "golden generation" to win the World Cup.
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez is likely to field a starting line-up, with six players already making more than 100 appearances for the Red Devils. Centre-backs Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld have a combined 264 games.
The centurion, which does not include Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois, is still young for the 30-year-old goalkeeper and could reach that goal in Qatar if all goes well.
Romelu Romelu Lukaku's form has fluctuated a lot, and he did not make his appearance for Inter Milan in September due to a thigh muscle injury.
Although only 29 years old, Romelu Lukaku has scored 68 goals in 102 games for Belgium and has seen his transfer fees total around $325 million during his prolific career.
However, doubts remain, as two unsatisfactory performances at Chelsea and his final season at Manchester United disbelieved then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Belgium have been a better team with Romelu Lukaku on the floor – look at his two selfless moves in Belgium's quick breakthrough goal in 2018's win over Japan – especially his goals.
Martinez led Belgium to a major tournament for the third time after more than six years in charge, with his contract expiring.
The 49-year-old Spaniard worked in English football for more than 20 years until being sacked by Everton ahead of Euro 2016.
Since failing to win Euro 2020 last year, Martinez has been linked with Barcelona's club job and return to Everton.
Belgium started relatively late in Group F of the World Cup on November 23, the fourth day of a 29-day competition. This left room for a warm-up match against Egypt in Kuwait City on November 18.
Belgium then went on to play Canada, Morocco on 27 November and Croatia on 1 December.