Thibaut Courtois fires shot at Belgium’s coach over leak of ‘private conversations,’ denies any dispute with Romelu Lukaku regarding captaincy
The Real Madrid goalie was accused of leaving the squad after being overlooked for captaincy.
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Thibaut Courtois and Romelu Lukaku (Credit: Daily Mirror)
Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois released an official statement on Monday clearing his dispute with Romelu Lukaku and responding to the Belgium coach. Earlier, Domenico Tedesco, the Belgium coach, accused him of leaving the team after overlooking him for captaincy.
Belgium played Austria on Saturday with the match ending in a 1-1 draw. As captain Kevin De Bruyne was absent, Tedesco had to give the armband to one of the vice-captains. It was between Courtois and Lukaku. The coach chose the Inter Milan Striker. According to Tedesco, this incident offended the former Chelsea goalkeeper. He decided to leave the National camp and refused to travel to Estonia for the next Euro 2024 Qualifier match on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference before their match against Estonia, the Belgium coach revealed the incident. “Together we decided that Romelu would be captain against Austria and Thibaut tomorrow against Estonia. That was OK for everyone but after the match [Courtois] suddenly wanted to talk to me and said he was going home because he was disappointed and felt offended.”
The Italy-born coach also said how he appreciated the Real Madrid goalie and considered him the best in the world. He was ‘shocked’ due to his leaving the squad. “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 am shocked.“
What did Thibaut Courtois say in the official statement?
Courtois responded to the coach, stating that he was ‘deeply disappointed’ and surprised to hear the coach’s press conference. He said that the coach gave a ‘partial and subjective account of a private conversation.’ “In that conversation I asked him, not for direct benefit, to explain and make decisions to avoid situations that in the past have harmed us while always looking for the general benefit.“
He further clarified that he has no issues with Romelu Lukaku and he has already spoken to him to clarify the situation. Furthermore, the real reason he left the camp was apparently due to a knee injury. He said, “Yesterday afternoon I underwent a checkup for a problem in my right knee. The medical team of my Club and the national team were in contact and reviewed all the corresponding material to make the decision to leave the training camp.”
However, Tedesco had earlier dismissed the claims made by the player’s father about the injury, saying “I can’t lie.” Defender Jan Vertonghen said that it was a sad situation.
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Arpan Ghosh
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