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When Rudi Garcia took over as Belgium coach in January 2025, following the sacking of Domenico Tedesco, he was tasked with stabilizing the team and transforming its performance.
The French coach’s first adventure in the world of national teams began with the daunting task of playing a two-legged European Nations League play-off against Ukraine in March.
After his team lost the first leg 3-1, Garcia and his players had to give it their all in the return match, which took place in Genk. Thanks to the huge support of enthusiastic fans and the brilliance of star Romelu Lukaku, who showed excellent attacking play and scored two goals, Belgium won a landslide 3-0, thus maintaining their position in the first tier.
The rousing victory sparked a positive feeling among the Belgian team after a relatively lackluster period under Tedesco.
A few months later, Garcia achieved his main goal – to secure a place for the team at the 2026 World Cup. Although he may be considered a newcomer to the international scene, Garcia has managerial experience in the club sector.
One of the highlights of his coaching career was when he led Lille to the French Championship and French Cup double in the 2010–11 season. He then managed several spells at Roma, Marseille and Lyon and was appointed coach of the Red Devils after a short spell as Napoli coach.