A clean sheet against Inter, then the news nobody in Belgium wanted
Real Madrid had just beaten Inter Milan 2-1 in the Champions League. Thibaut Courtois had kept another one out. Minutes after that, he confirmed he will sit out the next Nations League.
He is 34. There is no retirement announcement here. A break, and that is all he has called it.
Which means missing both games against France. Brussels on September 28, then Saint-Denis on October 5. A year ago he would not have gone near a decision like that.
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Van Bommel refused to guarantee him anything
The call followed a conversation with Belgium’s new head coach, Mark van Bommel. Courtois asked for time to work on his fitness and his club form. Van Bommel did not offer him cover.
“Mark van Bommel told me he could not guarantee me a starting spot. If the goalkeeper who plays in the Nations League performs well, the coach could put his trust in him again,” Courtois said.
He is handing someone else the shirt and he understands exactly what that means.
He has watched from the touchline before
At the last World Cup an injury forced him off during the quarter-final against Spain. Senne Lammens saw out the game. Belgium lost 1-2.
Euro 2028 is the target he named, so the international career is not over. Getting back in will mean beating out whoever holds the position after several months of ownership.
At 34, with a Madrid calendar that does not let up, that is a bet with real downside. Van Bommel names his squad for the France double-header later this month.
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