In the absence of Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, Inter Milan’s Italian striker Romelu Lukaku wore the armband in the 1-1 draw against Austria on Saturday, as the match was an occasion to celebrate Courtois’ 100th international match.
“After the match, Tebaut suddenly wanted to talk to me and told me he was going home because he was disappointed and humiliated,” Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco told a press conference on Monday night.
The 37-year-old added, “In my opinion, he is the best goalkeeper in the world. I admire him as a goalkeeper, but also as a human being. I am surprised and shocked that he felt insulted and disappointed.”
Tedesco, who replaced Spain’s Roberto Martinez after the failure of the World Cup in Qatar last year, added, “In March, we decided that Kevin would be the captain, and that Lukaku and Courtois would replace him. I spoke to them before the match, due to Kevin’s absence. Against Austria it was Lukaku, and for the Estonia match It was Courtois. The latter told me right after the match that he no longer agreed.”
In turn, local media indicated that the Real Madrid goalkeeper’s colleagues were surprised by his decision.
Veteran defender Jan Vertonghen (36 years), who has the most international matches with the “Red Devils” (147), said Monday, “It is an unfortunate situation. finding a solution”.
In a statement published on Monday evening, the Belgian goalkeeper provided a new story, saying he was “surprised to hear” the coach “giving a biased and subjective view of a private interview” that took place after the match.
“In this interview, I asked him, not out of personal interest, to explain and make decisions to avoid the situations we have already been through and which have harmed us,” Courtois wrote.
And to clarify: “To be or not to be a leader is not a whim nor a random decision, it is up to him to decide and this is what I tried to explain to him.”
In the absence of Courtois, Belgium’s den will protect Strasbourg’s French goalkeeper Matz Sales in Estonia. Belgium kicked off their qualifying campaign with a 3-0 victory over Sweden in March.
Belgium ranks second in Group F, with 4 points from two matches, behind leaders Austria (7 points).
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