Surprise As Mpenza Takes Control
Ex-
Belgian international,
Mbo Mpenza will be the man to coach Belgium for the foreseeable future, the
KBVB have announced. The news of him stepping up sparked confusion and intrigued followers of
Belgian football, mostly due to the fact that
Mpenza has not had any management experience to date, making the step up a big one.
"We have listened to Mbo's plans and aspirations, and he seems to have vast tactical knowledge. We do think he could be the one to push us on and fulfill the teams potential. It may seem an odd choice to some, but they have not heard his ideas. We will see if he proves the critics wrong."
-Official KBVB Statement
Despite being born in
Zaire,
Mpenza was raised and represented
Belgium. He was prominent in
Belgian football and beyond in the 90s and early 2000s, earning over 50 appearances for four different clubs;
Kortrijk,
Standard Liège,
Mouscron and perhaps the club that he was most well received at,
Anderlecht. In his prime, he was a striker, belting in goals for many a club, along the way earning 56 caps for the
Belgium.
"I am extremely exited to get to work here. This is a long term project, and one I am confident will be successful. With the talent the squad has, they deserve success. I am hopeful that I will be the man to guide them to their aspirations."
-Mbo Mpenza
Mpenza will now set to work on compiling tactics and preparing for the oncoming fixtures, the next being against
Russia at home on the 15th of August. In the meantime, it is speculated that
Mpenza will observe
Belgian players all across Europe and evaluate them for his squad.