Officially, Thibaut Courtois believes that he is not at 100% after having been absent for many months (since last August) following two knee injuries, preferring to save himself and prepare as best as possible for next season by skipping it, therefore , on Euro 2024. But this explanation convinced no one in the flat country, Courtois (31) having appeared at the top of his art by contributing greatly to the success of Real Madrid in the final of the Champions League on June 1 against at Borussia Dortmund (2-0).
The real reason for the absence of the “octopus” is to be found in what the media have called “armband-gate”. In June 2023, Courtois had a hard time not being named captain, in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne, during a match against Austria, the 100th in selection for the Flemish goalkeeper. Romelu Lukaku was preferred, Courtois then deciding to slam the door on the selection a few days later, before a match against Estonia.
“We had decided that Romelu would be captain against Austria and Thibaut against Estonia. It was OK. After the match, he felt offended by this. I am surprised and shocked. I didn’t expect something like this to happen“, Domenico Tedesco then explained during a press conference where he appeared dejected.
“A tribute was planned for my hundredth selection. This is the moment when, as a federation and a coach, you can make a nice gesture towards a goalkeeper who has done a lot for your country (…) When he said that Romelu was captain against Austria and that I I was captain against Estonia, something broke inside me“, the guard will respond.
Casteels, under pressure, preferred to Sels
No one came out a winner in this affair. Courtois alienated certain team members, the federation and the Belgian media condemning “his ego crisis” and describing his behavior as “star whim and childish attitude, not to say spoiled child“, wrote the daily The evening. But the Belgian selection finds itself deprived of one of the best goalkeepers on the planet at a time when its defensive sector is precisely its Achilles heel. Aware of this reality, the coach, the goalkeeping coach and the technical director went to Madrid in the spring to try to find a solution. In vain.
Hence the enormous pressure for whoever will defend the Belgian cages at the Euro. It is Koen Casteels (31 years old) who has been designated as the new number 1, the Wolfsburg goalkeeper (departing this summer for Saudi Arabia) having been preferred to Matz Sels, the ex-Strasbourg player who left for Nottingham this winter Forest. A decision which surprised many observers as Sels had been brilliant during the Devils’ last matches.
Koen Casteels
Credit: Getty Images
“Tedesco ruled curiously in favor of Casteels. I understand that the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper is having a very difficult time. Based on what he showed during the qualifying phase and at club level, Sels seemed difficult, if not impossible, to dislodge. In any case, the coach must have found the words to explain the inexplicable to him“, estimated former international Philippe Albert, consultant for RTBF (TV) and The evening.
“For Casteels, the Euro will not be easy to manage because he will feel spied on in each of his interventions. The slightest error on his part and the social networks will add another layer with the recent return of Courtois and his victory in the League champions“, he warned.
