His way to the European Championship was a race against time, now the best talent is Connie de Winter European Under-21 Football

Nothing or no one goes through it.

There was no doubt who was the bravest of the Belgians on Wednesday. Connie de Winter took the lead against the Netherlands when the alarm bells rang several times.

For example, a defender knocks two balls off the line at one point and then throws himself several times to get a dangerous chance.

“Fortunately I was in the right place at the right time,” the Antwerp player once smiled modestly in the mixed zone after the match.

However, this did not appear to be the case in mid-April.

In a match with his Italian club Empoli, De Winter suffered a knee injury against Cremonese. Then his thoughts immediately headed to the European Under-23 Championship.

“My first question after that injury was: How long will I be out? Because I had to get to the European Championships. I’ve lived here for two years. With my physiotherapist, I then started training hard to get here in top shape.”

The enthusiasm that was also the national team coach Jackie Mathisen did not go unnoticed.

“Some forget Kony worked incredibly hard to be here,” his coach praised after the match.

“With a medial ligament injury, it wasn’t easy 10 weeks before the tournament. But Kony got to the opening match with sheer force of will.”

A successful end to a real race against time.

“Because before the last exhibition match against Israel, I was still not sure I could play,” De Winter admitted.

“It became the first half. And against Holland, I usually played with duct tape around my knee. It only came off during the warm-up. (Laughs) I decided to play without it, because I felt good.”

De Winter thus put himself on the map with the general Belgian public – in his first duel on a public radio station.

For football animals, his performance may be less of a surprise.

Since moving to Juventus at the age of 16, the defender has been described as one of the best talents. Soon it looked like the new Vincent Kompany.

A comparison Olivier Dechacht, the current assistant at the Reserves, still partially understands.

“I can see that in a little bit. Maybe Kompany was a little stronger on his feet and knew instantly what he wanted. Being more eager to learn and more adaptable.”

But there is no doubt that he is equally ambitious.

For example, he thanked the defender – who also long dreamed of the World Cup in Qatar – for moving to Club Brugge last summer. Because De Winter saw he could put himself better in the spotlight than his parent club Juventus at Empoli in Serie A.

A decision that the rough diamond does not regret in the least.

“Because I learned a lot last season,” de Winter looks back. “What is it like to play against high-level strikers and teams, for example. I made mistakes, but I also corrected them. As a result, I took many steps.”

Is it really enough to get his chance at Juventus next season? At the moment, the counter is barely 81 minutes into the Champions League.

“I’d rather not be loaned out anymore. The goal is to play every week with a team that believes in me. That could be Juventus, yeah. We’ll see what’s decided in the summer.”

Perhaps some other matches, like the ones against Holland, will make the choice easier.