Garcia: Belgium Gaining Millions of Fans Ahead of Spain Clash, Lukaku Strikes Fear

Rudy Garcia, coach of the Belgium national team, confirmed that his squad has gained "millions and millions" of new fans following the controversy surrounding the suspension of striker Folarin Balogun before the match against the United States, noting that this will provide his team with "incredible strength" ahead of their quarter-final clash with Spain in the 2026 World Cup.

Garcia stated: "We had 12 million Belgian fans, and I believe that in the past few days, millions and millions more have joined us. This will give us unbelievable power."

He added: "We know we are facing one of the top contenders for the title, but statistics are meant to be broken. Everyone is talking about our exit, but we are capable of pulling off a surprise."

The coach also praised striker Romelu Lukaku, explaining that his role as an impactful substitute was part of the plan from the start, saying: "When Lukaku enters the field, opponents start to tremble. I have one of the best strikers in history on the bench, and we have two complete lineups, one that starts the match and another that finishes it."

For his part, Lukaku explained that he accepted his role after a conversation with Garcia last April, stating: "The coach told me to be ready for a certain role, and I agreed. It would have been crazy to start every match after playing only 64 minutes with Napoli. It's about the team, and if you reach this stage, you are not playing to go home, but to win. We need to deliver the perfect match against Spain."