BRUSSELS, Aug 7 — Mark van Bommel, newly appointed coach of the Belgium national football team, confirmed he had no hesitation accepting the job despite the possibility of coaching his native Netherlands, who remain without a coach following the World Cup.

In his first press conference since his appointment late last month, Van Bommel said he eagerly accepted the offer to replace Rudi Garcia, whose contract was not renewed after Belgium reached the World Cup quarter-finals last month. Van Bommel, a former defender for Barcelona, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, and a player for the Dutch in the 2010 World Cup final, emphasized the honor of coaching a national team.

"Did I want to wait for the Dutch national team? No, not at all. I didn't even think about that," Van Bommel stated. He described coaching a national team as one of the best jobs, highlighting the opportunity to work with the best players in a country and noting that there are few truly top countries.

Van Bommel acknowledged having received many offers over the past two years but none that convinced him until this opportunity arose. He also expressed his competitive mindset, saying, "As a footballer and a coach, you always want to win."

Belgium's upcoming fixtures under Van Bommel will begin with the Nations League, starting with a match against Italy in Rome on September 25, followed by games against Turkey and France during the September-October international window.

When asked about persuading goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who announced a break from the national team after the World Cup, Van Bommel responded, "That wouldn't be right if you have only spoken to each other once."

Van Bommel also commented on the ambitions of the Netherlands, stating, "You don't know what will happen along the way, but you want to go as far as possible. In the Netherlands, they often say: 'We are going to be world champions'. However, there are quite a few factors involved."

Sources