Belgium forward Felix Denayer has been a member of the Red Lions squad since 2008 and, in that long career, has seen the national team transform from a mediocre national team to world leaders. With 324 caps to his name, Denayer’s constant appearance among the top scorers are a sign that, 13 years on, his goal-scoring instincts are as sharp as ever.
How does it feel to be preparing for international hockey again?
Felix Denayer: “Obviously it feels great. We are currently in Las Palmas with the team kickstarting our Olympic campaign. Obviously we understand that we are in a privileged position to be able to train together as a team and we use that as motivation to train hard and to be focused to lay the foundations of out very important year that lies ahead.”
Do you feel the squad is ready for a return to action?
Felix Denayer: “The team is very excited obviously. A lot of players came out of lockdown where we had individual training sessions but I feel everyone prepared well and everybody arrived very fit and you see at training that everyone is very sharp and ready to kickstart this campaign well and set the tone for all the challenges that lie ahead this year.”
What are you expecting of the Spanish side in terms of style of play?
Felix Denayer: “Spain is always a combination of a lot of passion and great skills. They have interesting strikers and they also always do a good job as a defensive block. We are looking forward to playing them, and we are preparing for a nice challenge.”
How excited are you when you think of the year of hockey that lies ahead of you?
Felix Denayer: “For us it is year with a lot of opportunities. There is the FIH Hockey Pro League first, then the EuroHockey Championships in Amsterdam and the Olympic Games. I feel the group is really focused and really working hard and obviously it helps when you are chasing your dreams so I can’t wait to see how this journey will develop for us. Hopefully we will play our best hockey in 2021 and that is what we are training so hard for.”
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