Thibaut Courtois expresses relief at reuniting with Belgium squad ahead of Nations League

Thibaut Courtois expressed feeling “relieved” to finally have the opportunity to “talk everything out” with his Belgium teammates, after returning to the national team for the first time since June 2023.

In a press conference ahead of Belgium’s Nations League play-off match against Ukraine, the 32-year-old goalkeeper addressed the “misunderstandings” surrounding his exit from the national team before their Euro 2024 qualifier against Estonia.

The Real Madrid goalkeeper rejected claims that his decision to leave the Belgium camp was linked to former manager Domenico Tedesco’s decision to deny him the captaincy.

However, he admitted that his departure was “impulsive.”

“There were a lot of misunderstandings, half-truths, so I was able to explain what happened. The teammates were able to ask their questions,” Courtois said.

“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 per cent 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.”

Thibaut Courtois, who made his senior international debut in 2011, has earned 102 caps for Belgium. He now hopes the country’s supporters can “accept” him once again.

“I understand it was hard for the fans at the time,” he added. “I hope that they can accept me again. I understand it’s not easy, but I hope that they will support the team.”

Following Courtois’ return, fellow Belgium goalkeeper Koen Casteels announced he would be unavailable for Belgium’s squad earlier this month.

The 32-year-old told the Belgium podcast MidMid that his country’s football association is “rolling out the red carpet” for his teammate. Belgium will take on Ukraine in the Nations League on March 20 and March 23.