The Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said he had thrashed out the circumstances of his lengthy exile from the national side with teammates on his return and hoped the controversy over his almost two-year absence was settled.
The 32-year-old has not played for Belgium since June 2023 when he walked out before a European Championship qualifier in Estonia, but after a change of coach he is back for this week’s Nations League playoffs against Ukraine.
The Real Madrid goalkeeper, who has 102 caps, said his walkout had nothing to do with being denied the captaincy, as was reported at the time, but a breakdown in his relationship with the coach Domenico Tedesco, who has been replaced by Rudi Garcia.
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Courtois conceded he might have better handled the confrontation with Tedesco and said he regretted misunderstandings with his teammates. However, he said he felt there was no way back with Tedesco after their relationship broke down.
Courtois faced a barrage of questions over his lengthy stay away, which has divided opinion in Belgium, at a press conference on Tuesday, striking a conciliatory tone but insisting he would remain opinionated. “I am who I am,” he said.
Courtois spoke to teammates on Monday after joining up with the squad. “There were a lot of misunderstandings, half-truths, so I was able to explain what happened,” he said. “The teammates were able to ask their questions.
“I’m relieved that we were able to talk everything out. Everything is clear and now we’re looking ahead. I know I made my mistakes. At that time, I wasn’t mentally 100% 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.
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“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, who also addressed the press conference, said it was good Courtois had explained matters. “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 midfielder said.