Koni De Winter has put his international career on hold at age 24 after growing frustrated with his lack of playing time under Belgium manager Mark van Bommel.
The AC Milan defender decided to make himself unavailable for selection, concluding a period of mounting dissatisfaction with the national team.
“For me that remains incomprehensible,” Jelle Vossen told Het Nieuwsblad. “Saying at 24 that you won’t come if you aren’t allowed to play, I have a hard time with that.” Vossen suggested the arrival of a newborn child might have influenced the timing.
The AC Milan center-back accumulated eight caps since making his debut under Domenico Tedesco in March 2024 against Ireland, Sporza reported. Under subsequent managers, however, his minutes dwindled. He did not play a single minute at the World Cup and missed out entirely during the recent Nations League matches against Italy and France, sitting in the stands while Van Bommel relied on Brandon Mechele and Nathan Ngoy.
Mechele waited years to establish himself before forming a pairing alongside Ngoy in central defense.
“If it’s purely about the number of playing minutes, then I think: ‘Maybe you should talk to Brandon Mechele,'” Vossen said. “If you see how long he had to wait for a chance.”
Former Belgium international Tessa Wullaert echoed that sentiment regarding the Club Brugge defender. “Just bite through it a bit like Brandon, I would say,” Wullaert told Het Nieuwsblad. “I never thought he would become a fixed value at the national team, but now he forms a top duo with Ngoy.”
Franky Van der Elst said that De Winter did not face excessive competition for places. “It’s also not that De Winter has to box against I-don’t-know-who for the rest,” Van der Elst said. Steven Defour added that while De Winter had received opportunities in the past, he failed to seize them.
Van Bommel responded to the defensive shortage by calling up KRC Genk defender Josué Kongolo for his first senior selection, VoetbalPrimeur.be reported. Kongolo entered the squad alongside Zeno Debast, who sustained another injury while playing for Sporting CP.
“I understand that in an emotional mood you sometimes think ‘foert’, but maybe Koni should think about it again,” Van der Elst said.
De Winter has remained a regular starter at club level, appearing in 1,240 of a possible 1,260 minutes for AC Milan, according to figures reported by Sporza.
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