Courtois clears air as Tielemans says squad welcomed Real Madrid keeper back

Thibaut Courtois has revealed that he discussed his long absence of international football with his Belgian teammates on his return to the national team setup.

Real Madrid -goalkeeper Courtois has not played for Belgium since he left the national team camp in the bitterness prior to a European qualifying match to Estonia in June 2023.

But the appointment of Rudi Garcia as a replacement for Domenico Tedesco earlier this year made the way clear for Courtois to return, and the 32-year-old now seems to be playing in the upcoming Nations League play-off Double header against Ukraine.

The 102 Cap goalkeeper said he hopes that he can now win the fans of Belgium after he has cleared up the air with his international colleagues.

“I am relieved that we have been able to pronounce everything. Everything is clear and now we look ahead,” said Courtois.

“I know I made my mistakes. At that moment I was not mentally 100 percent ready to play.

“After a long season you sometimes have impulsive reactions and that was not smart of me, that was not the best for the team and the supporters.

“I still think that the football club could have treated it better afterwards, but I also suffered a serious knee injury. I was not ready to play at the European championship. And when a relationship with a coach breaks, it is also difficult.

“A lot was written that I left because I did not get the bracelet from the captain, but that is not true. That is the biggest disinformation.

“I understand that it was difficult for the fans at the time. I hope they can accept me again. I understand that it is not easy, but I hope they will support the team.”

Belgium -Midfielder Youri Tielemans confirmed that there are no problems surrounding Courtois' return to the international fold, the adding of the team all looks forward together.

“The most important thing is that he realizes that some things have gone badly with the group of players, but he said he didn't mean it that way,” said the Aston Villa player.

“We have done things well, the team has fully accepted Thibaut's decision, and now we have set our sentences to make a move, to win both play-off competitions and to be eligible for the World Cup.”