Belgium have announced their squad for the upcoming European Championships in Germany, featuring expected names such as Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne, Roma's Romelu Lukaku, and Arsenal's Leandro Trossard. However, one notable omission is Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, a decision that has sparked considerable discussion.

Courtois has been plagued by injuries since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in August, which required surgery and kept him sidelined for much of the season. He resumed training in March, but a subsequent setback—rupturing the internal meniscus in his right knee—further delayed his return.

Despite these challenges, Courtois made a return for Real Madrid earlier this month in a home game against Cadiz. He played in four consecutive matches, keeping clean sheets in each and helping Real Madrid secure the La Liga title. Nevertheless, his impressive performances were not enough to earn him a place in Belgium's Euro 2024 squad.

Belgium's head coach, Domenico Tedesco, cited Courtois' lack of preparedness as the primary reason for his exclusion. The 32-year-old goalkeeper had not participated in competitive matches for nearly a year, making it difficult to justify his inclusion.

However, many fans are not satisfied with the statement and now are claiming exclusion is also rumored to be influenced by off-field issues.

In June 2023, tensions arose when Courtois was overlooked for the Belgium captaincy in favor of Kevin De Bruyne. While Courtois and Lukaku were named joint vice-captains, Courtois expected to captain the team in De Bruyne's absence during a Euro 2024 qualifier against Austria.

However, Lukaku was given the armband instead, with Courtois promised the captaincy for the subsequent game against Estonia.

Feeling slighted, Courtois left the training camp pointing out injury issues. However, later Tedesco claimed the goalkeeper left due to not handing him the armband. Courtois later challenged Tedesco's assertion in another interview.

The conflict between Courtois and Tedesco resurfaced in March after Tedesco claimed Courtois would not be part of the team despite his best efforts to patch things up with the goalkeeper.

This announcement was criticized by Courtois again after the 32-year-old expressed his frustration on social media with liar emoji.

With Tedesco recently signing a new two-year deal extending his tenure until the 2026 World Cup, it is uncertain whether Courtois will return to the national team under his administration.

As Belgium prepare for Euro 2024, the absence of one of their most experienced players remains a significant talking point.