Thibaut Courtois has welcomed Belgium's new coach, Mark van Bommel, and also stopped short of committing to the national team beyond the World Cup. The Real Madrid goalkeeper says he wants to continue with Belgium, but only after a conversation with van Bommel. He also wants a rest during the Nations League.

Van Bommel's arrival and Courtois' view

Courtois said van Bommel's name had been mentioned for a while, and that he had already proved himself at Antwerp. He added that a lot of players speak very highly of him, which is hardly a bad starting point for any coach walking into a national-team job.

The stronger line was the one about the future. Courtois said: "After the World Cup, I definitely want to continue, but it will depend on the conversation I have with him." He added that he would like to rest during the Nations League and that the two sides will need to reach an agreement before he decides whether to continue or not.

Van Bommel also earns credit from Courtois for something more basic than tactics. "The most important thing is that Van Bommel played at the highest level and knows what it's like to play matches like these," he said. "That experience is undoubtedly a positive and naturally earns him a lot of respect from the players."

Courtois has 115 caps for Belgium, so this is not a minor international footnote. When a player with that much seniority pauses over his future, the conversation around the new coach becomes part football and part workload management.

The injury is not the issue anymore

The World Cup thigh problem that forced Courtois off against Spain has been downgraded by the player himself. He said, "I don't feel any discomfort anymore," which points away from a major fitness issue.

Courtois had already returned to Valdebebas by the end of the week after reporting there on 13 July for pre-season. He is also now third in Real Madrid's captaincy hierarchy after Dani Carvajal's departure, which underlines how much he still has on his plate at club level.

So the immediate picture is simple enough. Courtois has backed van Bommel, the injury is easing, and the unresolved part is whether Belgium gets him back for the next phase or only after more talks.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →