- Romelu Lukaku guided Belgium against Austria, to the anger of a teammate
- Thibaut Courtois is furious at being overlooked and not showing up at the hotel
- Now he may not start against Estonia, a game in which he was to be named captain.
A furious Thibaut Courtois failed to report for Belgium duty on Sunday after Romelu Lukaku he was named captain before him for the draw with Austria, reports claim.
In the absence of a habitual pattern kevin debruyne, Lukaku led the Red Devils on Saturday with Courtois ruled out for the role in a move previously planned by Domenico Tedesco. Instead, the goalkeeper became the captain against Estonia.
However, Courtois opposed the decision and was not present when the team met at their hotel to begin preparations for their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier.
That is according to the newspaper on home soil, which has also highlighted the fact that the 31-year-old was honored for his 100th game at the weekend.
His fiancée, Israeli supermodel Mishel Gerzig, had given him a special keepsake just a week before their wedding.
“Thibaut Courtois is very important to us,” Tedesco said on Saturday night. ‘I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.
‘On Saturday I had a conversation with Romelu and Thibaut about the captaincy. Against Austria it was Lukaku, against Estonia Thibaut gets the credit.
“It’s important to us that you feel valued.”
Courtois is said to have lashed out at several teammates in the dressing room after the final whistle, a game in which striker Lukaku’s equalizing goal saved his team from blushes, and the players believed there was more to his bravado after his absence.
The Real Madrid goalkeeper, Courtois, also suffers a minor injury, adds the same publication, although Tedesco’s team is unaware of any possible setback.
It’s currently unclear how Tedesco will respond to the experienced player’s drastic move, but a press conference scheduled for tonight could shed more light.
Backup goalkeeper Matz Sels, previously on the books at Newcastle, could even replace Courtois between the sticks tomorrow, with Koen Casteels ruled out.
Backup options Thomas Kaminski and Arnaud Bodart are also in contention to play.
Former Chelsea goalkeeper Courtois made 102 total appearances for Belgium, making his senior debut in a goalless friendly with France in 2011.
He has yet to taste great success on the international scene, but did notch a World Cup bronze medal after his country finished third in Russia in 2018.
Belgium currently sit second in their qualifying group with four points, behind leaders Austria, who have played one more game, by three points.
Meanwhile, De Bruyne will return to action in September after tearing his hamstring during Manchester City’s Champions League final win over Inter Milan.
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