Real Madrid and Belgium superstar Thibaut Courtois has blasted his national team following their embarrassing exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament in Qatar.
The Red Devils entered the tournament as one of the favorites, with many expecting their golden generation to put in a strong performance in the competition. However, things didn't go as expected and they were sent home from the World Cup after failing to make it past the group stage.
Belgium finished third in Group F with four points from three games, one point behind second-place Croatia and three points adrift of table-toppers Morocco. They beat Canada 1-0 in their opening fixture but couldn't maintain the momentum and lost 2-0 to Morocco before recording a 1-1 draw with Croatia, which sealed their fate.
This has dealt a serious blow to their fate; not only because of the setback but also because of the immense quality they have at their disposal. It is indeed a shame to see a side boasting players like Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and Romelu Lukaku crash out in the group stage of the competition.
Reacting to the situation, Thibaut Courtois held nothing back as he lashed out at Belgium's golden generation for their failures before naming which country he'll support for the rest of the tournament.
“It’s hard to call yourself ‘Golden Generation’ when you don’t win anything,” the Real Madrid goalkeeper was quoted as saying by Diairo AS (via Football Espana)."
“We’re not a golden generation, we’re a generation with lots of talent and great players from across Europe."
“We showed in Russia, we are a Belgium that plays good football. “In this World Cup and Euro 2020 we were not ourselves, it’s embarrassing."
“We’ll see what happens, who stays, and who goes. Football moves fast and in March there are qualifiers for the Euros."
On which country he'll support now that Belgium is out of the World Cup, the Real Madrid goalkeeper named Spain. “Now, I’m supporting Spain, and I wish success to my remaining teammates in Qatar,” he said.
Thibaut Courtois enjoying a decent outing with Real Madrid this season
Despite Belgium's setback at the World Cup, Thibaut Courtois is well-poised to end the 2022-23 campaign on a high with Real Madrid. The goalkeeper has made 16 appearances for the Spanish giants across all competitions so far this season, recording three clean sheets to his name.
Real Madrid have made it into the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League and are locked in an intense battle with Barcelona for the Liga title.