Thibaut Courtois will be hoping for a fresh start to his international career after returning to the Belgium squad following a forced absence of almost two years, Afrosport reports.
The 32-year-old was called up to the Red Devils squad for the first time since falling out with former manager Domenico Tedesco in June 2023 which led him to leaving the squad.
Rudi Garcia is now in charge of team and Courtois looks set to play in the UEFA Nations League play-off against Ukraine.
Speaking in a press conference, the Real Madrid goalkeeper said he could have handled his fall-out with Tedesco better and has explained things to his Belgium teammates.
“There were a lot of misunderstandings, half-truths, so I was able to explain what happened,” he said. “The team-mates were able to ask their questions.
“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% 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
“I still think the [Belgian] Football Association could have handled it better afterwards, but I also suffered a serious knee injury. I wasn’t ready to play at the European Championship anyway. And when a relationship with a coach breaks down it’s also difficult.”
He added: “A lot had been written that I left because I didn’t get the captain’s armband, but that’s not true. That’s the biggest disinformation.
“I understand it was hard for the fans at the time. I hope that they can accept me again.
“I understand it’s not easy, but I hope that they will support the team.”
Focus on the future.
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— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) March 18, 2025
Courtois is one of Belgium’s most capped players, with 102 caps to his name, putting him in a league of eight players to have represented the country more than 100 times.
