Belgian football is living its best moment since 1986, when the Rode Duivels (Red Devils) wrote history by finishing fourth at that year’s World Cup in Mexico – their best ever performance. The current team look even more talented than the 1986 crop, with stars like Eden Hazard, Christian Benteke, Jan Vertonghen, Thomas Vermaelen, Romelu Lukaku, Axel Witsel, Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne; all have made a big impact at the highest level. The next Belgian ready to take his turn in the spotlight could well be Tottenham Hotspur’s new signing Nacer Chadli, the winger having penned a five-year contract at White Hart Lane.

Playmaker, left winger, attacking midfielder: since Chadli took his first steps in professional football, he has shown he has the ability to play right across the attacking line. His versatility has been one of his best weapons, alongside great technique, tactical awareness and superb vision.

A good example of Chadli’s versatility came on 14th December 2012 in Enschede at the Arke Stadium, when Twente beat local rivals Heracles Almelo 3-2. The Belgian with Moroccan roots started as a left winger in a 4-3-3 system, then swapped position with first striker Luc Castaignos and scored, while in the dying minutes he provided the assist for Castaignos’ winning goal, after starting the action on the right flank.
 

“Chadli and [Dusan] Tadic are top European players”, said Heracles coach Peter Bosz after the game, commenting on Twente’s two jewels. Unluckily for the pair however, Twente as a whole were not. Steve McClaren’s magic moments in Holland looked far away and the Tukkers disappointingly ended sixth in the Eredivisie for the second time in a row with McClaren, who despite leading the club to their first title in 2010, was sacked before the season ended. Even Chadli’s superb performances – he had his best season to date with 18 goals and eleven assists in all competitions – were not enough to prevent Twente’s slide into mediocrity.

Chadli was born in 2nd August 1989, in Thier-a-Liege, a northern district of the Belgian city of Liege. The fifth child of a Moroccan immigrant family, his father was a furniture maker, his mother a cobbler. “My father took me [to Standard Liege] to watch my eldest brother training and I was picked too. Then when I was nine I had a three day spell with Standard Liege’s youth team. It went well and I played with them for seven years. In the meantime, the worst experience of my life happened: my parents got divorced. It was a painful event that influenced my life. My performances on the pitch suffered a slump too.”

At the age of 16, Chadli moved to Holland to join MVV Maastricht’s youth academy. One year later, second tier outfit AGOVV Apeldoorn spotted him and put him directly in their first team. Technical manager Ted van Leeuwen recalled how he was impressed by Chadli’s technique. “I was so afraid that other major clubs would notice him and take him away”, admitted Van Leeuwen, “so when AGOVV tested Chadli for the first time, I sent him onto the pitch under the alias Kaliffe.”

Chadli made his professional debut under current Anderlecht coach John van den Brom on 7th September, as AGOVV were beaten 6-2 at home by RKC Waalwijk. With the Dutch minnows, who went bankrupt four months ago and disappeared from professional football, the Belgian winger quickly established himself as a regular and built up a good partnership up front with countryman Dries Mertens, another Belgian gem, who has recently swapped PSV Eindhoven for Napoli.

Chadli spent three seasons in the Dutch Eerste Divisie before moving to then-reigning champions Twente, who splashed out €400,000 to secure his signature. Coach Michel Preud’Homme wanted him to replace Chelsea loanee Miroslav Stoch, who was freshly returned to London, and selected him immediately in his starting eleven. The Belgian began as a number 10 in a 4-3-3 system before being pushed onto the left flank. He made his debut in the Champions League against Inter, then scored two goals against Tottenham (one at White Hart Lane, the other in the return game at the Grolsch Veste) and one against Werder Bremen.

In the 2009/10 season, Twente’s attacking line of Luuk de Jong (number 10), Bryan Ruiz (right winger), Marc Janko (striker) and Chadli (left winger) was one of the club’s finest for many years. The Tukkers however lost out on the Eredivisie title in the very last game to Ajax, but then defeated the Amsterdam side in the cup final.

The following two seasons saw Chadli struggle against physical problems; knee and malleolar injuries, strains. When fit however, the winger always kept his level of performances high, especially under McClaren and then his successor Alfred Schreuder.

A dual citizen of Belgium and Morocco, in 2011 Chadli opted for the Rode Duivels, despite being previously selected by Eric Gerets for the Atlas Lions and playing for the African country in a 2010 friendly against Northern Ireland. So far he has been capped 14 times, with two goals scored.

Chadli of course is not the new Gareth Bale. Firstly, he is right-footed, so once on the left flank he tends to cut inside his marker and strike at goal with his favourite foot. And secondly, he lacks the turn of pace of the Welshman, while thirdly he must still improve his goal rate. His versatility and technical ability however are the best guarantee of Spurs having signed a potential star.

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