Euro 2024: Why has Thibaut Courtois not been included in Belgium squad?

Sportsdunia DeskPublished: 28 May 2024 05:33 PM

The Euro 2024 has already started making headlines 24 teams have started their preparations for the biggest international continental competition in Europe. Belgium are no exception as they try to win their first major tournament in history when they take the field in Germany next month. However, the squad announcement has already caught the eye of the fans and the internet has already exploded with the shocking exclusion of Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Why has Courtois been not in the Euro 2024 Belgium squad?

While Courtois continues to struggle with injury which has seen him miss the majority of the 2023-24 season, it is reported that he was not dropped due to the said concern. According to reports, Courtois’ exclusion came after he had a fallout with manager Domenico Tedesco last summer. The Belgian goalie walked out on the team after being informed that he wouldn’t succeed Eden Hazard as the captain of the national side.

The news was met with mixed reception in the camp and did not go well with Tedesco who had taken charge of the side after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Courtois was one of the three main players linked to get the captaincy role after Hazard had announced his retirement. Jan Vertonghen and Kevin de Bruyne were the other candidates to get the captaincy role on a permanent basis.

However, already alerted of the disputes within the camp Tedesco played safe and opted to choose Romelu Lukaku as the Belgium captain. The decision did not go well with Courtois and he decided to miss the national duty. It is not a secret that Courtois and De Bruyne don’t share a good relationship and could have prompted more reactions had he or the latter been announced as captain. Meanwhile, Vertonghen’s age was a big factor in his failure to land the captain’s role.

Belgium squad

Goalkeepers: Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest), Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thomas Kaminski (Luton)

Defenders: Wout Faes (Leicester), Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Arthur Theate (Rennes), Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht), Axel Witsel (Atletico Madrid), Zeno Debast (Anderlecht), Thomas Meunier (Trabzonspor), Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge)

Midfielders: Aster Vranckx (Wolfsburg), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Orel Mangala (Lyon), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Arthur Vermeeren (Atletico Madrid), Amadou Onana (Everton)

Forwards: Romelu Lukaku (Roma), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Lois Openda (Leipzig), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal), Johan Bakayoko (PSV Eindhoven), Dodi Lukebakio (Sevilla), Yannick Carrasco (Al-Shabab)

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