Thibaut Courtois has revealed he discussed his lengthy absence from international football with his Belgium team-mates on his return to the national team set-up.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois has not played for Belgium since leaving the national team camp in acrimony ahead of a European Championship qualifier away to Estonia in June 2023.
But the appointment of Rudi Garcia as Domenico Tedesco’s replacement earlier this year has paved the way for Courtois to return, and the 32-year-old now looks set to play in the forthcoming Nations League play-off double-header against Ukraine.
The 102-cap goalkeeper said he hopes he can now win over Belgium’s fans after clearing the air with his international colleagues.
“I’m relieved that we were able to talk everything out. Everything is clear and now we’re looking ahead,” Courtois said.
“I know I made my mistakes. At that time, I wasn’t mentally 100 per cent ready to play.
“After a long season, you sometimes have impulsive reactions and that was not smart of me, that was not the best thing for the team and the supporters.
“I still think the football association could have handled it better afterwards, but I also suffered a serious knee injury. I wasn’t ready to play at the European Championship anyway. And when a relationship with a coach breaks down it’s also difficult.
“A lot had been written that I left because I didn’t get the captain’s armband, but that’s not true. That’s the biggest disinformation.
“I understand it was hard for the fans at the time. I hope that they can accept me again. I understand it’s not easy, but I hope that they will support the team.”
Youri Tielemans says the Belgium squad have set their sights on moving forward
Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans confirmed there are no issues surrounding Courtois’ return to the international fold, adding the squad are all looking forward together.
“The most important thing is that he realises that some things went down badly with the group of players, but he said that he had not meant it that way,” the Aston Villa player said.
“We’ve put things right, the squad has fully accepted Thibaut’s decision, and now we’ve got our sights set on moving forward, winning both play-off matches and qualifying for the World Cup.”
