Thibaut Courtois was asked about accusations that he indicated in the dressing room before the European Championship qualifier against Austria that he did not want to play alongside players who had just been relegated during his revealing interview with Sporza. This was said to be directed at several players who were involved in Leicester City’s relegation from the Premier League.
‘Not at all,’ answered Courtois. I am confident that certain players also relayed information to the media. It confirmed my feelings and what few people knew. ‘I have never suggested that players are insufficient,’ the Real Madrid goalkeeper added. I’ve known individuals like Castagne, Tielemans, and Praet for a long time – they even played in Russia at the World Cup.’ ‘The only thing is – and I am not ashamed to say this: if you fall behind in the match against Austria and you have relegation guys in the team who have lost more matches than they have won…’ said the 31-year-old. Then it becomes harder to rectify such scenario.’.
This was part of a lengthy interview in which the goalie discussed his decision to leave the Red Devils midway through the qualification campaign. Courtois left the team after the win over Austria before of the next game against Estonia. There had been a squabble with the newly appointed head coach, Domenico Tedesco. During the interview, the goalkeeper was forthright in his criticism of the new head coach’s handling of the matter.
Many have criticized the goalie for what he said in the interview, while others have criticized Tedesco for how he appeared to handle the situation. In any case, Courtois will be unavailable for the European Championships in Germany next summer. Given his recent injury, he has decided to focus on therapy in order to be fully recovered for Real Madrid’s 2024/2025 season.
Whether or if he returns to the Red Devils setup is certainly dependent on whether or not the strained relationship between head coach and goalie can be repaired within the next year. It is unlikely that it will be resolved anytime soon as a result of this interview.
