Belgium captaincy hint dropped as Thibaut Courtois returns | OneFootball

Thibaut Courtois’ return to the Belgium squad continues to make waves ahead of the international break.

Real Madrid’s No.1 is currently eighth on the all-time list of appearances for the Red Devils with 102 caps ahead of his comeback.

Courtois made the controversial decision to temporarily step down from international duty in August 2024 following a high-profile dispute with former coach Domenico Tedesco.

Following the Belgian FA’s decision to sack Tedesco at the start of 2025, the door was reopened for Courtois, with new head coach Rudi Garcia open to a reconciliation.

Despite the furore surrounding the story, Courtois stuck to his guns on the issue, claiming he ‘was right’ over the disagreement, but his mission to play at the 2026 FIFA World Cup is strong.

Real Madrid goal keeper Thibaut Courtois

Garcia has recalled him to the panel, but there are rumours of several squad members being unhappy with the perceived favouritism, sparked by Koen Casteels’ remarks.

Casteels has stepped in as No.1 in Courtois’ absence, but he has now retired from international football over the debacle, claiming the ‘red carpet has been rolled out’ for the Los Blancos star.

Courtois will likely make his first appearance back in the fold in Spain, as Belgium take on Ukraine in a UEFA Nations League playoff in neutral Murcia, and Garcia could boldly select him as captain.

“We’re starting with a blank slate. I won’t see the players until Monday, but we’ll talk to the leaders again about what happened,” he said at the squad announcement.

“But after that, I’m won’t to keep dwelling on what happened. Otherwise we won’t make any progress.

“I have an idea in my head about that [the captaincy]. Kevin [De Bruyne}, Romelu [Lukaku] and Thibaut are all definitely candidates. We will see next week who the leaders are.”

De Bruyne replaced Eden Hazard – who is now Garcia’s assistant coach – as captain in 2022, which is rumoured to have fuelled Courtois’ initial row with Tedesco.