The Belgian revolution has been one of world football's success stories of recent times, as evidenced by their rise to number one in the rankings.
Josh Cullen took a punt when he left West Ham in October 2020 and now the midfielder is at the heart of Belgium's football culture, an Anderlecht regular in the club's fight for a top three finish in the First Division A this season.
No doubt Stephen Kenny has studied the story of how Belgian football changed tack and developed a bona fide football factory from the low of their Euro 2000 finals appearance, churning out players of the quality of De Bruyne, Hazard, Lukaku and Courtois.
None of that star quartet will be present at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow but Roberto Martinez will still field a high quality team.
"They’re number one in the world," stressed Cullen.
"Some of their more experienced players won’t be there but, looking at their squad and the calibre of players they still have, we know it’s going to be a tough test and they’re still a top, top side.
“You still have the likes of (Youri) Tielemans, (Divlock) Origi, (Christian) Benteke in the squad so that's by no means a young, inexperienced squad.
"We’ve analysed them as a team, we know they’re a possession-based side who like to dominate the ball, and obviously they have good athletes as well.
"So they’re an all-round strong side and it will be a good test for us.
"They're still taking on the mantle from the golden generation.
"We knew before we met up and we know from analysing their squad and team that they have some top players and we are looking forward to the challenge.
"I think a lot of people have recognised the progression we’ve made over the last year or so - and it will be time to show Belgian people hopefully on Saturday night how good a team we can be."
The Belgians examined training methods and playing approaches from elsewhere - from the French and the Dutch, from top European clubs such as Barcelona and Ajax, and developed their own DNA, co-opted the national youth sides to play in a similar fashion.
It is a process that Kenny has set in train in Ireland and the hope is that, in years to come, the work will yield a rich harvest in talented youth and successful teams.
Cullen has seen the work up close in his club environment.
“Anderlecht are one of the most well respected academies around the world, a lot of players have come through there and gone onto great careers," he said.
"They've invested in the grassroots side, in the facilities for young players over there to practice and hone their skills.
"It's been a 20 year or so project to get to where they are today and it takes time.
"I think they are definitely an example for other medium or small sized nations in Europe to follow and hopefully we're in the process of doing that as well.”
Cullen points to the FAI's facilities in Abbotstown as a step in the right direction in that regard.
He added: "Hopefully the investment will go into the grassroots side of things,and the underage groups - the style of coaching and the level of coaches within the underage groups as well.
"It will bode well for the future of Irish football.”
Kenny can turn to Cullen for extra nuggets of information on the squad that Martinez has brought to Dublin.
Yari Verscaheren, for example, is a striker who plays alongside the 25-year-old at Anderlecht.
“Yari's a very good young player, he has played a lot this season, got a lot of goals and assists for us," Cullen said.
"There's definitely a lot of talent coming through who are good, strong players. We'll have to be at the top of our game to compete with them.”
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