Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois spoke to the media while on World Cup duty, touching on his future, Belgium’s tournament ambitions, media criticism, the influence of American sports, and the challenges awaiting his national team in the competition.
The Real Madrid shot-stopper made it clear that he does not envision a return to Belgian club football before retirement.
“I’m not thinking about playing in Belgium again. For me, the Pro League is a closed chapter. Genk also has many good young goalkeepers,
so… My goal is to finish my career at Real Madrid.”
Courtois also discussed the unique demands of the World Cup and the importance of finishing atop the group in order to minimize travel throughout the tournament.
“The TV is on a lot; we watch quite a few World Cup matches. I notice that a lot of goals are scored in the final minutes. Also, that the gap between teams isn’t usually very wide. Everyone wants to do their own thing, but these days every match is a battle. It’ll be the same against Iran. But we want to win, we want to finish first. That way we can stay in Seattle and travel less. We won’t have to be changing hotels and packing all the time. That’s better for the family too. I remember the World Cup in Russia, when we had to travel so much. In the end, it takes its toll. I don’t mind playing at midday. It’s harder with the weather in other places. There’s often more pace in the afternoon matches, but you get used to it.”
The Belgian goalkeeper also addressed the role of the media during major tournaments, suggesting that excessive criticism can become a distraction for national teams.
“Before Qatar, there was a lot of unrest surrounding the team, through the press. That doesn’t help the team. We know perfectly well whether it was good or bad. If there isn’t too much criticism during the tournament, all the better. I’d prefer they filled the newspapers with their articles after the tournament. But oh well, they have their job, and that’s respectable. It’s part of the game. Right now, things are still calm here.”
Courtois then expanded on the subject, specifically highlighting his frustrations with inaccurate reporting and the impact it can have on players.
“I’m not referring to the Belgian media, but I often read things in Spain that are fabricated. Things that aren’t true. It turns out they’re true a month later, but who takes responsibility then? There’s freedom of expression, that’s true, but often false things are written. Maybe 80 percent is false. That hurts the players. Social media doesn’t help either, nor does AI.”
Away from football, Courtois revealed his admiration for American sports culture, pointing to the NBA and NFL as examples of professionalism and preparation.
“I like to follow American sports, like the NBA and the NFL. There’s always a lot of excitement surrounding the games. The quality and work ethic are also incredibly high. As soccer players, we can sometimes learn something from them; they arrive early in the morning and leave late at night because they receive so much theoretical training. Among soccer players, there are many who quit after fifteen minutes.”
Looking ahead to Belgium’s upcoming clash with Iran, Courtois warned against underestimating their opponents despite Belgium entering the match as favorites.
“We can’t predict how we’ll fare against Iran. That team played well against New Zealand; they can be dangerous. We’ll be well prepared. I didn’t quite understand how the Belgians assessed our match against Egypt. Everyone always expects to start with a great game, but there have already been many surprises in this World Cup. Egypt handled it well too. I think we hurt ourselves by misplacing too many passes and not having enough rhythm. Against Iran, we have to play our own game from the first minute. But we respect our opponent. I don’t think it’s a disadvantage for Iran to have to fly back immediately after the match. But the fact that they always have to travel before the game isn’t ideal. There are other restrictions for that team as well. Perhaps that motivates them, so we shouldn’t underestimate them.”
