It is perhaps from his sofa that Thibaut Courtois, 102 caps with the Belgium team, will observe the course of the Red Devils during Euro 2024. One thing is certain: it will be neither from his goal nor from the bench . The 32-year-old goalkeeper was not selected by Domenico Tedesco, who preferred Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg, GER), Thomas Kaminski (Luton Town, ANG) and Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest, ANG), less than 20 caps to the three of them.
Not really a surprise. The Italian-German coach confirmed in April that Courtois would not be traveling to Germany. “We focus on players who are fit,” had even announced Tedesco, relaunched in a press conference on his goalkeeper victim, in August 2023, of a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of the left knee.
An insufficient return to form
But since then, the Real Madrid player has returned to the field, playing four La Liga matches in May and, above all, the Champions League final won by the Madrid club. That evening, the 1er June, the slender porter had even been imperial, making a series of exits and stops to disgust the German attackers. Although absent for a large part of the season, Thibaut Courtois therefore seems to be a man in good shape. Should we find a cause in his absence from the selection other than that of a player in poor form?
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Certainly, as the goalkeeper has maintained cold relations with the coach since June 2023. Annoyed at not having been named captain of the Belgium team after the injury to Kevin De Bruyne (Romelu Lukaku, 111 caps, had worn the armband), Courtois had, that day, left the Red Devils gathering. “After the match, Thibaut suddenly wanted to talk to me and told me that he was going home because he was disappointed and felt insulted, explained coach Domenico Tedesco. In March, we decided that Kevin would be the captain, that there would be two vice-captains: Lukaku and Courtois. I spoke to them before the match, given Kevin’s absence. For Austria it was Lukaku, and for Estonia it was Courtois. The latter told me immediately after the match that he no longer agreed,” replied the coach.
“In this interview, I asked him, not out of personal interest, to explain and make decisions to avoid situations that we have already experienced which have harmed us,” Courtois explained. “Being or not being the captain is neither a whim nor a random decision, it is up to him to decide and that is what I tried to make him understand. »
Courtois had left the selection
“It was a bad decision to leave after the Austria match. I would like to apologize to the team and especially to the supporters,” Thibaut Courtois then recognized. In December, the Belgian, then in rehabilitation after his injury, then removed himself from the selection. “I won’t be 100% ready for a big tournament […] I think it is best to immediately bring this clarity to the national team. I won’t be in goal at 80%, even though we have other good goalkeepers. »
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A statement serving the speech of the coach, who assured in March: “It’s a good thing that he will be back soon (after his injury). But he communicated his position very clearly. He did it very early, and it was very honest of him, everyone was then able to organize themselves according to his decision. So there is nothing new on my side, no new information. […] I think I’ve done everything, I’ve tried everything. » Words to which Courtois had little taste, who responded to him on the social network
In light of the past season, the absence of Thibaut Courtois at the Euro is therefore not a surprise despite a return to favor on the pitch. But to hope to taste those of the European Championship in Germany, we would also have had to find favor in the eyes of the Belgian coach. And there, contrary to his injury, the goalkeeper started from too far away.
