Brandon Mechele #4

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Mechele is already a Club Brugge legend, holding the record for most appearances in European competition (101) and sharing the record for most league titles (six) with his teammate Hans Vanaken. But it hasn’t all been plain-sailing: there was a time when he didn’t feel appreciated, with the board buying a new central defender almost every year. “Then I hung my head and walked around in frustration”, he told HLN. “It’s tiring that I have to keep proving myself to the outside world.” Yet he never thought of leaving. He started and wants to finish his career in Bruges, where he rides his bike to training. He was really disappointed to be left out of the Belgium squad for previous tournaments, but now he’s finally made it. His close friend Tibo Debaillie will be happy: he plays for Canadian Football League team BC Lions in Vancouver, where the Red Devils face New Zealand.

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