Jan Vertonghen turned down Eden Hazard's offer to captain Belgium on the night he equalled his nation's caps record.

Hazard has taken over as Belgium skipper due to Vincent Kompany's ongoing injury problems, but he was prepared to give up the armband for the 4-3 win in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday.

Vertonghen won a record-equalling 96th cap, but he was not interested in being captain for the day. He will move ahead of Jan Ceulemans if he wins his 97th cap in Tuesday's final World Cup qualifier at home to Cyprus.

"Yes, it's true. He came to me to tell me to take the captain's armband," Vertonghen said. "I thought that was really nice of him, but I refused. I'm not a guy who wants to push himself into the spotlight or stand out from the crowd.

"I heard it said that I wanted to play with the No. 97 shirt against Cyprus to mark the occasion, but that's not true. I'm a normal guy who wants to play games, whether it be the first, the 95th or the 97th of my international career.

Jan Vertonghen won his first Belgium cap in 2007. Vincent Van Doornick / Isosport

"But to come back to Eden, that shows his great generosity that he had that idea, and I thank him for it."

Belgium qualified for next summer's final tournament in Russia with a win in Greece last month, assuring themselves of finishing top of Group H.

This week's game in Brussels will not only be a chance for Vertonghen to enjoy his personal milestone on home soil, but also present Martinez's men with the opportunity to celebrate their successful campaign.

"I'm going to enjoy the evening, but above all for the party with our fans to celebrate our qualification," he told Belgian media. "Since we made certain of going to Russia, we have played away. It'll be great to finish the qualifying campaign in front of our fans.

"I know I'll be put in the spotlight, but I don't know how. I'll try to enjoy that in front of my family."