Domenico Tedesco will take over as Belgium's head coach, the nation's federation declared on Wednesday (RBFA).
The 37-year-old Tedesco, born in Italy, succeeds Roberto Martinez, who resigned after Belgium exit from the World Cup in Qatar.
"His goal is to get the Belgian Red Devils into the German 2024 Euros. The opening qualifier will take place against Sweden on March 24 in Stockholm "RBFA said.
Later on, Wednesday, Tedesco, a former coach of RB Leipzig, Spartak Moscow, and Schalke, will be introduced to the media.
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"Being the next head coach of Belgium is a big honor for me. I'm eager to complete the assignment, and I'm quite motivated. From the initial conversation, I immediately felt positive, "As stated by Tedesco on the RBFA website.
Since late January, the appointment has been long overdue. The delay raised the possibility that Tedesco considered the open position at Hoffenheim. Fifteen minutes after the RBFA statement, the Bundesliga team tweeted that Pellegrino Matarazzo was working.
Spanish star Martinez quit the Red Devils following a humiliating exit from the World Cup group stage in Qatar, which is likely to spell the end of the nation's "golden generation" of athletes.
Third place at the 2018 World Cup was the closest Belgium team, which included Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois, Jan Vertonghen, and Eden Hazard, who came to win the tournament. After the World Cup, Hazard declared his international retirement.
On January 9, Martinez was named Portugal's head coach.
Including former assistant Thierry Henry, who players allegedly supported and did not apply; a great list of contenders who did not use in connection with Belgium.
Tedesco did not meet the requirements set forth by the RBFA, who stated that they were looking for a coach with "the necessary international experience at top level" and was a "serial winner" in an advertisement on their website in December.
Marc Wilmots, a former coach for Belgium and Schalke, was not impressed when Tedesco's name came in for the position.
"He is a computer and coach. You were well-dressed, had a laptop, and it worked. With Schalke, he came in second place overall, which is extremely impressive "At the end of January, Wilmots made a statement on Belgian television.
"He is a club coach, so use caution. National teams are distinct from one another. He won't have as much time as he does at the club to prepare for his matches."
Engineering in industry
Tedesco was born in Calabria and immigrated to Germany when he was two.
He has a degree in industrial engineering and is fluent in Italian, German, Russian, English, French, and Spanish.
He graduated first in his coaching class from the Hennes Weisweiler Academy, which served as the primary training ground for the German Football Association until last year, ahead of Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann.
His first position as head coach was at Erzgebirge Aue in 2017, when he prevented the team from being demoted from Bundesliga 2 and helped them go up to Schalke.
In 2018, he guided the team to second place in the Bundesliga. However, in March 2019, the club's losing streak had reached seven games with a 7-0 loss against Manchester City and a 10-2 overall score in the Champions League round of 16.
He joined Spartak in October 2019, helped the team win the Russian Premier League in 2021, and departed the organization.
After taking over at RB Leipzig, he won the German Cup the previous season before being fired following a poor start to the current season.
Former Belgian midfielder Franky Vercauteren, appointed director of football, will assist Tedesco.
