Thibaut Courtois is finally back with Belgium. The goalkeeper decided to leave the Red Devils almost two years ago following a conflict with Tedesco, the former coach.
During a press conference, goalkeeper Courtois made a point of clarifying the reasons that led him to leave the national team in June 2023. “As Youri Tielemans said, there were a lot of misunderstandings and things were said that weren’t true. We had a conversation that went well. There were a lot of misunderstandings and false information about what happened. This armband issue wasn’t the center of the problem. I had contact with other players during my absence. I thought it was clear to everyone, but I realized yesterday that it wasn’t,” Courtois began by explaining.
“I’m relieved because we’ve resolved all the issues. Everything is clear, and we can look forward. I know I made mistakes. At the time, I wasn’t 100% ready. And when a relationship breaks down with a coach, it’s difficult too. I know I don’t have the easiest personality, but I felt he didn’t respect me. Sometimes things go too far, but I think it should stay internal and that it could have been resolved internally,” he added of Tedesco, who has since been replaced by Rudi Garcia. As a message to the Red Devils’ supporters, he said: “Ultimately, I can’t do anything except perform well on the pitch and win with the team. To the supporters, obviously I apologize for how it all happened, and they’re still having trouble accepting it. I can understand them, given that there were false stories, or at least not the whole truth. Even when I tried to explain myself, you could see that some people didn’t quite understand. It’s difficult to change the public’s opinion. I hope the relationship will return to how it was before.”
Well known for never holding back, whether with his country or Real Madrid, Courtois shared a little more about his strong character: “I’m a winner and I speak my mind. Sometimes, we react emotionally and it goes too far. When the coach said he did everything to get me back, it wasn’t true. The press also tried to talk about it. I think it was better not to say anything. I don’t know if I would have reacted differently. For the team and the fans, yes, but I can’t change who I am.”
His replacement during his absence, goalkeeper Koen Casteels, frankly didn’t appreciate Courtois being recalled, even going so far as to announce his international retirement: “It’s strange that a federation turns its back on me and rolls out the red carpet, and then I announce that I’m no longer available,” Casteels announced 10 days ago. To which Courtois reacted: “I can understand Koen, since he was number one and now I’m coming back. But the federation wanted me back from the start, so I made myself available.”
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