Courtois skips Nations League to stay at top level with Real Madrid

Thibaut Courtois (34) misses the Nations League matches, while he at Real Madrid strives for top performances; he explains that the extra load in a busy period would have exceeded his limits. In an interview with the Spanish radio station Onda Cero he explains how the decision came about and what it means for the Red Devils.

Reasons for the absence

Courtois states that after the Champions League match against Inter he decided not to play the entire Nations League campaign. He does not want to return fatigued from Belgium and emphasizes that he wants to “be at his best at Real Madrid”. The goalkeeper cites the quarter‑final substitution against Spain at the World Cup as an example of his physical limits.

Dialogue with national coach Mark van Bommel

According to Courtois, during the holiday he spoke at length with the newly appointed national coach Mark van Bommel. He explained that the Nations League adds extra load in a period with matches against Italy, France, Turkey, Villarreal, Roma, Sevilla, Leipzig and even ‘El Clásico’. Van Bommel, himself a former player, understood the considerations, but could not guarantee a starting place for the Euro qualifiers.

Courtois emphasizes his love for the national team, but states that he “has everything to thank Madrid for” and that out of respect he wants to continue performing at his best. He adds that he will make himself available for the Euro qualifying matches.

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The goalkeeper also points to the pressure that other national coaches experience, such as Zinédie Zidane with France and Jürgen Klopp with Germany, and uses this to underline his point. He believes that the battle to be the best must be fought weekly.

In Courtois’s absence, Senne Lammens will temporarily take on the goalkeeper role for the Nations League. Whether he will also feature in the Euro qualifiers remains unclear.

Courtois concludes with a look to the future: he wants to “play for five or six years” and hopes to develop a “new Courtois”, while maintaining his priority at Real Madrid.