Thibaut Courtois has kept Belgium in many a match throughout his national team career. But an injury substitution before a heartbreaking loss may have been the goalkeeper’s final World Cup moment.
Courtois said he would have been able to play through a leg injury, but he accepted being taken out for Senne Lammens in the 71st minute of Belgium’s quarterfinal showdown with Spain on Tuesday.
Lammens proceeded to let in Mikel Merino’s game-winning goal in the 88th minute, which enabled La Roja to advance 2-1.
“I felt a lot of pain in my quadriceps. But I had no problem with staying in goal though, only for long kicks,” Courtois told media after the match, per soccer reporter Fabrizio Romano.
“In the end the manager decided to take me off. This is no problem as the team goes above everything.”
The Real Madrid star let in Fabian Ruiz’s goal to open the scoring in the 30th minute, but Charles De Ketelaere equalized for Belgium before halftime.
Courtois was credited with four saves before his exit. He supported Lammens, 24, a Manchester United goalie who made two saves in his brief World Cup debut. Lammens dropped a soft shot by Pau Cubarsi and Merino smashed the rebound past him for the deciding goal.
“Senne Lammens is a fantastic goalkeeper with a bright future,” Courtois said. “This moment will make him stronger.”
It’s not known whether Courtois will make another World Cup appearance as he’ll be 38 when he is 38 during the 2030 tournament.
His goalkeeping spurred Belgium to a quarterfinal run in 2014 and a third-place finish in 2018, their best World Cup to date. Friday was Courtois’ 21st World Cup match; he’s had eight clean sheets, tied for third all-time behind Fabien Barthez and Peter Shilton, each with 10.
Per reports from his mixed zone interview, Courtois said he would like to take a year off from international competition — skipping the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League — and play for Belgium in qualifiers for the 2028 UEFA European Championship.
–Field Level Media
