Thibaut Courtois' Return Headlines Belgium's New Era

Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid's goalkeeper, rejoins Belgium's national squad after a hiatus amidst coaching changes. With Rudi Garcia succeeding Tedesco as coach, Courtois returns, missing since a fallout with the former coach. His comeback also sees the exclusion of Koen Casteels, previously favored by Tedesco.

Thibaut Courtois, the star goalkeeper of Real Madrid, has made a notable return to Belgium's national squad under the leadership of newly-appointed coach Rudi Garcia. Courtois had previously left the team following a dispute with Belgium's earlier coach, Domenico Tedesco, bringing his participation in the 2024 European Championship in Germany to a halt.

In August, Courtois had declared his unavailability for the national team as long as Tedesco was in charge. Following Tedesco's departure in January and Garcia's appointment, Courtois is now back as one of four goalkeepers selected for the upcoming Nations League playoff matchups against Ukraine.

Notably missing from Garcia's selection is Koen Casteels, who was Belgium's starting goalkeeper during Euro 2024. Reports suggest that Casteels has chosen to remain unavailable for the national team due to the circumstances surrounding Courtois' return. Garcia embarks on his inaugural foray into international management, following a prolific club coaching career spanning teams like Napoli, Marseille, and Roma.

(With inputs from agencies.)