Trossard’s ‘crazy’ path to emerging as Belgium starpublished at 16:42
Belgium v Slovakia (17:00 BST)
Joe Rindl
BBC Sport
Image source, Getty ImagesFlair, pace and ice-cold composure.
In Leandro Trossard, Belgium and Arsenal seem to be blessed with a world class forward.
He is also an anomaly; a late bloomer. At 29 he has only recently broken through as a regular for his national team.
Speak to those who knew him as a teenager and a vibe emerges.
Yes, he was “gifted on the ball”, and yes, he made defenders “go crazy with his technique”. But, at 16, he was a small boy playing at a small academy in an even smaller league.
To go from there to where he is now 13 years later – essentially Eden Hazard’s replacement in Belgium’s starting XI – is almost unbelievable.