At the age of 20, just as the pandemic arrived, Arthur Theate had begun to explore his options for an alternative job outside of football.Finding himself without a club, he briefly considered a career in construction. In the time since, the defender has emphatically rebuilt his career.In the coming weeks, he will represent Belgium at the World Cup in North America and, before he kicks a ball on the biggest stage, his performances have already been enough to put him on the radar of Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth. He might not have envisaged this moment six years ago.Theate had spent time in the youth team and reserve sides at both Genk and Standard Liege, without making his first-team breakthrough. And, after leaving Standard — his hometown club — for the second time in his fledgling career in 2020, he was almost ready to give up on football.A week-long trial at another Belgian club, Oostende, proved to be his salvation — as he secured his first professional contract. Six years later, he is an established international and plays in the Bundesliga for Eintracht Frankfurt.Arthur Theate has thrived at Eintracht Frankfurt (Photo: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)Roughly 18 months after he considered quitting the game, Theate made his Belgium debut in a World Cup qualifier against Wales. After he had won the first of his 33 caps so far, in November 2021, then-Belgium coach Roberto Martinez described him as: “A player with a lot of character. He likes challenges, he’s good in terms of his aggression and intensity”.The 26-year-old has needed every ounce of that character to get him to this point. Theate has built himself a reputation as being an emotionally resilient, determined personality.“I’ve always believed in myself. I was preparing for a life other than football, but I never gave up. During COVID, I used the little money I had saved to pay for a physical trainer and to be ready if an opportunity arose,” Theate said in an interview with Onefootball.com. “Before Ostend, I tried out for a Belgian D2 club and was turned down. Ostend was my last chance because I couldn’t keep failing like that. But I never stopped believing in myself and I knew that one day things could turn around.”