Romeo Lavia made an excellent impression while away on international duty, earning praise from Mark van Bommel and Zinedine Zidane.
Romeo Lavia of Chelsea acknowledges the fans during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Chelsea FC and Hull City at Stamford Bridge on September 12, 2026 in London, England.
Romeo Lavia has enjoyed a fantastic start to the season.(Image: Photo by Alexander Canillas/MB Media/Getty Images)
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Mark van Bommel has warned Xabi Alonso that if Romeo Lavia 'doesn't succeed at Chelsea', then he 'certainly will somewhere else'. The Blues midfielder made an excellent impression during the international break, playing a starring role for Belgium in the Nations League.
Lavia featured in each of the four fixtures, starting both games against France, playing 85 and 87 minutes respectively, as well as coming off the bench against Italy and Turkey. Although the Red Devils lost to Zinedine Zidane's side at home and away, they waltzed away victorious from the other two matches.
The 22-year-old particularly caught the eye at the Stade de France on Monday night, despite Belgium losing 4-1 to Les Bleus. Lavia provided the assist for Dodi Lukebakio, who broke the deadlock in Paris when he latched onto a brilliant pass that sliced the opposition in two.
From deep in the visitors' half, Lavia threaded the eye of the needle, pinging the ball across the turf and behind the French backline. With a single pass, the Chelsea star exploited the high press, taking seven players out of the game.
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Zidane's side leapt out of the gates at half-time, scoring each of their four goals after the break. Speaking to reporters after the game, Van Bommel singled out Lavia for praise.
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As quoted by Belgian outlet HLN, the Belgium head coach said: "We scored a fantastic goal. Romeo (Lavia) played another great game. At this age, he is much better than me.
"We should be happy that we have him. He is a top player in the making. If he doesn't succeed at Chelsea, then certainly somewhere else."
Romeo Lavia
Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia impressed for Belgium in their Nations League defeat to France(Image: Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images)
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Then, Lukebakio was quizzed on Lavia's performance. The Benfica forward said: "I know his qualities. He is a great player, and I am happy for him that he is playing at this level again.
"We feel a connection. I know which pass he is going to make. With players like that around you, it is easier to score goals."
Meanwhile, Lavia said: "I saw Dodi make a good run, and I took the risk to play the ball, which worked out. It was a beautiful goal."
Romeo Lavia in action
Romeo Lavia in action for Belgium in their 4-1 defeat to France(Image: Jean Catuffe)
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Then, in a separate interview, the Chelsea star provided an update on his fitness, having enjoyed an injury-free start to life under Alonso at Stamford Bridge. As quoted by the BBC, Lavia said: "It's been a very long time since I've felt this good, physically and mentally.
"I'm delighted. There's a lot of hard work behind it. It's a rebirth."
Even Zidane lavished praise on Lavia. As quoted by Goal in light of Belgium's defeat to France earlier this week, the France gaffer said: "I didn’t watch his individual performance because I was keeping an eye on my own players, but I really liked his pass.
"I watched it again in the changing room at half-time, during the analysis. He’s a quality player."
He added: "But he’s not the only one in the Belgian team. There are plenty of them, even amongst those who came on as substitutes.
"They’ll always cause us problems when we face them again. We needed to show a reaction to win, and it’s good that we did."