Alan Shearer has questioned Belgium's reliance on their experienced players after Roberto Martinez's side suffered an early elimination from the 2022 World Cup.
After losing to Morocco in their second game, the 2018 semi-finalists knew only a win against Croatia would ensure their path to the last 16. They had their chances, with many of them falling to Romelu Lukaku, but ended up drawing a second straight blank to go out at the first hurdle.
Earlier in the tournament, Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne had suggested the team was too old to improve on their 2018 result. That proved to be the case, with manager Martinez stepping down after the disappointment,
Martinez confirmed his departure after the game, while saying he was proud of his team's performance after the under-par display against Morocco. "It's not easy to win games in the World Cup. We weren't ourselves in the first game, we had a deserved defeat in our second game," the former Everton boss said.
"Today we were ready, we created opportunities and today there is no regret. We're out but we can leave with our heads held high.
"You see Youri Tielemans and other young players - the golden generation is doing something that is bringing the next generation on. It's not what names are on the pitch, the legacy can be left in many ways."
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Belgium started the four players with more than 100 caps in the Croatia game, with Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld joined in the line-up by Axel Witsel and Dries Mertens. Lukaku and Eden Hazard also have a century of international appearances to their name, and both came off the bench as Martinez's side chased that elusive goal.
"They've been really poor," Shearer said on The BBC 's World Cup coverage. "I get what he [Martinez] is trying to say, and I know how difficult it was because he couldn't retire all of those experienced players coming into this World Cup.
"He had to involve them, because of what they've achieved and what they've done. for Belgium. He knows that this was going to be the last tournament for several of them, it was just one too much. He says he's got no regrets, I'm sure he has, but they didn't deserve to go through. I didn't expect them to be brilliant, but I expected them to be better than what they were.
"He had to involve some of those players who have got over 100 caps. They have to be in charge of their career and when it ends at international level, because of what they've done.
"You also have to have players coming through ready to push those players out," Shearer added. "Use Wout Faes as an example, what I've seen of him in the Premier League for Leicester, he's better than what they've got defensively."
