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Thibaut Courtois has been left out of Belgium’s Euro 2024 squad, although the Real Madrid goalkeeper could feature in Saturday’s Champions League final.
Courtois withdrew from the Belgium squad last June when he was not appointed captain following the retirement of Eden Hazard, which led to a public dispute with coach Domenico Tedesco.
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The 32-year-old was criticized by his teammates and has since expressed his remorse.
Cotto was sidelined for most of the season after suffering two serious knee injuries. He returned against Cádiz in La Liga on 4 May, before missing the Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich. Since then he has kept clean sheets against Granada, Alaves and Real Betis.
Sources told ESPN that the club believes that if he is fit, there is no debate that he will start in the Champions League final.
“Courtois was very clear, honest and early in his communications,” Tedesco said in a press conference on Tuesday. “The latest information we have received is that he is not ready for the European Championship. He knows his body better.”
Although the rules allow coaches to take a squad of 26 players to the tournament, Tedesco decided to name only 25 players in the group that he will take to Germany.
Tuesday’s squad saw the call-up of Axel Witsel, who announced his retirement from international football last year. His return comes after Tedesco visited Atletico Madrid to convince the midfielder to return to the team.
The 35-year-old won the last of his 130 caps at the World Cup in Qatar, where Belgium were eliminated at the group stage.
“Axel has been on my mind for a long time, even during the playoffs,” Tedesco said. “It’s about quality, Witsel offers a lot of quality.
“He is a key player for Atletico Madrid. I met him and wanted to see him and look into his eyes. We need him, he has experience and can help young players. Experience in this position is important. We are playing in a European Championship.” Championship, this is not an easy matter.”
Former Ajax and Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen, who has 154 caps for his country, has been included in the squad at the age of 37. The team also includes top scorer Romelu Lukaku, who scored 83 goals in 114 matches for his country.
Belgium lineup:
Goalkeepers: Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Tomasz Kaminski (Luton Town), Matz Sells (Nottingham Forest).
In defence: Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Maxime De Cuyper (Club Brugge), Zino Debast (Anderlecht), Foot-Weiss (Leicester City), Thomas Meunier (Trabzonspor), Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht), Arthur Theat (Stade Rennes) , Axel Witsel. (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielders: Yannick Carrasco (Youth), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Aurel Mangala (Lyon), Amadou Onana (Everton), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Arthur Vermeeren (Atletico Madrid), Aster Franks (Wolfsburg).
Forwards: Johan Bakayoko (PSV Eindhoven), Charles De Ketelayer (Atalanta), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Romelu Lukaku (Roma), Dodi Lukébaki (Sevilla), Luis Obinda (Leipzig), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal).
Information from Reuters contributed to this report.
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