Why has Thibaut Courtois, the Real Madrid goalkeeper, not been selected to play for Belgium in Euro 2024?

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In a surprising turn of events, Thibaut Courtois, the goalkeeper who helped Real Madrid secure victory in the UEFA Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund, will not be featuring for Belgium at Euro 2024. Despite his impressive performance, Courtois has been left out of Belgium’s squad due to concerns over his fitness.

Manager Domenico Tedesco has deemed the 32-year-old not fully fit to participate in the tournament. Courtois suffered a serious knee ligament injury prior to the 2023/24 season. However, he managed to make a comeback and played five games for Madrid, including the Champions League final where he kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.

Tedesco explained the decision to exclude Courtois, stating that the goalkeeper knows his body best and playing every few days during a tournament would be a different challenge. As a result, the team will be planning with players who are fully capable of participating.

It is worth noting that the strained relationship between Courtois and Tedesco may have played a role in the goalkeeper’s omission. The two had a falling out last year when Courtois stormed out of Belgium training due to a disagreement over the captaincy.

Courtois had hoped to wear the captain’s armband for a home Euro 2024 qualifying match to commemorate his 100th cap for the national side. However, Tedesco named Romelu Lukaku as the skipper instead, which left Courtois feeling betrayed.

In an interview with Sporza, Courtois expressed his frustration, stating that he no longer felt appreciated by the federation and the coach. He accused Tedesco of not making an effort to find a solution and instead threatened him. Courtois even went as far as calling Tedesco a liar in a post on X (formerly Twitter) in March. Since the dispute, Courtois has not played for Belgium.

This will be Belgium’s first major tournament without Courtois since 2012. The goalkeeper has played in every match of the 2014, 2018, and 2022 World Cups, as well as the 2016 and 2020 Euros.

Taking Courtois’ place as Belgium’s new No. 1 is Koen Casteels, who currently plays for Saudi club Al Qadsiah.