His white season with Real Madrid does not allow him to participate in his third Euro. Thibaut Courtois, 31, will not be part of Belgium during the German Euro (June 14 – July 14) due to the rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee which has kept him away from the field since the summer last.
However, Courtois made his return to the Madrid group on Monday, present in Munich for the semi-final first leg of the Champions League and his coach Carlo Ancelotti is counting on a return of the Belgian for the next championship match against Cadiz, Saturday (4:15 p.m. ), between the semi-final first leg and the return leg of C1.
But Courtois has maintained cold relations with Italian-German coach Domenico Tedesco since June 2023, upset at not having been named captain of the Red Devils after the injury to Kevin De Bruyne. Against Austria, it was Romelu Lukaku who wore the armband.
The goalkeeper, who had alienated part of the Belgian locker room, announced in December that he was giving up on the Euro due to his left knee injury. “On this theme, everything has already been said. I don’t want to play ping-pong. I am in tune with that,” Tedesco explained in a roundtable discussion with German media.
By announcing his decision in December, Courtois allowed the Belgian staff to prepare, said Tedesco. “We are focusing on players who are in good shape,” he said on Tuesday.
