Van Bommel praises Belgium's Ngoy: "The prototype of the modern defender"

Belgium head coach Mark van Bommel described centre-back Nathan Ngoy as "the prototype of the modern defender" after another impressive performance in the UEFA Nations League.

Belgium beat Türkiye 2-1 on Thursday, with Kevin De Bruyne and Charles De Ketelaere scoring after they had fallen behind to a superb Arda Güler free-kick.

Lille's Ngoy, who started in the centre-back pairing alongside Brandon Mechele, won five of his nine duels, won possession three times and led his team with six clearances.

In the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League, Ngoy ranks first among Belgian defenders for interceptions (10) and clearances (24), and second for duels won (13).

Speaking after the win over Türkiye, Van Bommel said: "The central defence was very strong again. Take Ngoy. Apart from that one mistake at the start, he played a perfect game."

The Dutchman added: "But actually, that applies to all his previous international matches. The prototype of the modern defender. He defends extremely cleanly, constantly anticipates, and always thinks one step ahead. He dares to defend high up the pitch and is physically very strong. He really is a top modern defender. I have to be careful with big statements, but I think he could become worth a lot of money in the long run."

Belgium posted an expected goals (xG) figure of 1.54 to Türkiye's 0.63 and created three big chances to their opponents' two.

Van Bommel's side are third in Group A1, but sit just one point behind leaders Italy, whom they host in their final group match on Sunday.

Van Bommel concluded: "As a national team, you have little time. You have to convey your ideas as quickly as possible and ensure that the players execute them. I find that impressive about this group. That they did that again for fifty minutes. We lost control at a certain point. But that wasn't because Türkiye overwhelmed us. That was due to choices we made ourselves. But what this team showed makes me absolutely satisfied."