Belgium manager Domenico Tedesco is only in his second international break with the nation, but already has a major problem developing with one of his best players.
The Italo-German coach claimed that Thibaut Courtois, who was honoured in Belgium for his 100th cap last week, had left their camp as he was offended by the fact that he was not selected as captain. Marca covered his words.
“Together we decided that Romelu (Lukaku) would be the captain against Austria and Thibaut tomorrow against Estonia. That was fine for everyone, but after the game (against Austria) he suddenly wanted to talk to me and said he was going home because he was disappointed and offended.”
“From the beginning I tried to show him the appreciation he deserves. In my eyes he is the best goalkeeper in the world. I love him as a goalkeeper but also as a human being. I’m shocked.”
However according to the Real Madrid goalkeeper, who for many is the best in the world, that was not how things played out. Courtois released a statement on the matter on Monday.
Courtois explains that at no point did he make any demands regarding the captaincy, and that his absence from the Belgian camp was exclusively down to the fact that he had a minor injury. It is something he had communicated with both his club and country medical teams.
Regardless of what happened, Tedesco can ill-afford to lose Courtois’ trust. The 31-year-old has shown time and again that he is capable of turning games on his own, and as Belgium attempt to shift towards a new generation, Courtois in an ideal world would be a key part of that.
Pure madrid animal. Pained for not being selected captain for a match, lying about having injury is pathetic.