Courtois ready to move on from Belgium self-exile
Thibaut Courtois hopes the controversy of his almost two-year self-exile from the Belgium squad is over after talks with his team-mates.
The goalkeeper walked out of the Belgium camp in June 2023 ahead of a Euro 2024 qualifier, after a row with previous coach Domenico Tedesco and subsequently refused to represent his country.
However, after Tedesco's sacking in January, Courtois said he was open to a return, with new boss Rudi Garcia including him in the squad for this week's Nations League play-off.
Belgium will face Ukraine in a two-legged promotion-relegation tie, with the first leg set to take place on Friday in Murcia, before the return fixture in Genk three days later.
Courtois, who has made 102 appearances for the national team, linked up with the Belgium squad on Monday, getting the opportunity to speak to his team-mates about what happened, and he believes that will benefit them in the future.
"There were a lot of misunderstandings, half-truths, so I was able to explain what happened. The team-mates were able to ask their questions," Courtois said. "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 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 [in 2024] anyway. And when a relationship with a coach breaks down it's also difficult."
It was reported that Courtois' disagreement with Tedesco started after he was overlooked for the captaincy of the national team.
The 32 year-old, however, insisted that was not the cause of the breakdown in their relationship.
"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," Courtois said.
"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."
While Garcia has not confirmed the identity of his captain, Courtois is said to be a candidate alongside Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne and Napoli striker Romelu Lukaku.
There have been changes to the Belgium squad, with centre-back Ameen Al-Dakhil and striker Michy Batshuayi, who is back in the squad after nearly a year out of contention, being called up as cover for injury doubts. Malick Fofana and Arthur Theate could both miss the first leg against Ukraine.
