If any footballer is granted the honour of captaining their country, it is arguably one of the proudest days in their careers.
Yet when former Everton star Romelu Lukaku was granted such an honour by Belgium manager Domenico Tedesco the striker inadvertently became embroiled at the heart of an unsavoury exchange between his international boss and team-mate Thibaut Courtois.
Lukaku, who has 75 goals from 108 caps for his country, donned the armband for the first time for a friendly against Greece back in June 2021 in the absence of Eden Hazard, Jan Vertonghen and Kevin De Bruyne.
Manchester City De Bruyne talisman would be appointed captain by Tedesco earlier this year following Hazard’s international retirement. But an injury suffered during City's Champions League final win over Inter Milan ensured he was absent for Belgium during the June international break.
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As a result, Tedesco would hand the armband to Lukaku, with the striker scoring three goals across a 1-1 draw with Austria and 3-0 win over Estonia during Euro 2024 qualification. Yet according to the Belgium manager, such a decision upset goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, with the Real Madrid shot-stopper, who has captained his country once before and was promised the armband against Estonia, withdrawing from the squad after facing Austria as a result.
While Courtois was said to be carrying a knee injury, Tedesco would dismiss suggestions of that being the reason behind the goalkeeper’s absence against Estonia.
"Together we decided that Romelu would be captain against Austria and Thibaut tomorrow against Estonia," Tedesco told reporters last Monday. "That was okay for everyone but after the match [Courtois] suddenly wanted to talk to me.
“He told me that he is, of course, offended that he was not the captain and he would leave the camp. And of course, I tried several times to speak to him: ‘Don’t do that, to me, don’t do that to the staff, don’t do that to the team’. Because it’s a tough one, it’s a hard decision that he took.
“For me it would be easy, believe me, I would like to tell you that it is a topic of injury. But then I would lie to you, I would lie to the team and to the staff, and I can’t do this. I always try to protect players but that's impossible in this situation. I tried to tell him to hold on for two more days.
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate to have him. He saved us in that situation, that could be a 1-2, and you lose this game. He is top. For us it’s important that he feels valued.
"From the beginning I tried to show him the appreciation he deserves. In my eyes he is the best goalkeeper in the world. I love him as a goalkeeper but also as a human being. I am shocked.
"It's not the right time to say anything about that (his international future), because we have an important game tomorrow. The next games are in September and we will see then.”
However, Courtois would take issue with such claims as he shared his own version of events, insisting he was injured and revealing he had spoken to Lukaku, on social media.
”This afternoon I was surprised to hear the coach's press conference in which he gave a partial and subjective account of a private conversation we had after the match against Austria,” he wrote.
“I want to make it clear that it is not the first time or the last time that I talk to a coach about issues related to a locker room, but it is the first time that someone decides to tell it publicly. I am deeply disappointed with this, but I want to make it clear that the coach's assessments do not fit with reality.
“In that conversation I asked him, not for direct benefit, to explain and make decisions to avoid situations that in the past have harmed us while always looking for the general benefit. To be or not to be the national team captain is neither a whim nor a random decision, it should be his decision and that is what I tried to convey to him. Unfortunately I did not achieve my purpose.
“I insist that in no case have I demanded anything and that I have spoken to my team-mate Romelu Lukaku to clarify any circumstances related to this situation. At the same time I want to make it clear that I did not have any discussion on any similar subject with any teammate, as has been claimed.
“Furthermore, yesterday afternoon I underwent a check-up for a problem in my right knee. The medical team of my club and the national team were in contact and reviewed all the corresponding material to make the decision to leave the training camp.”
Team-mate Vertonghen would say of the spat that it was a "sad situation", adding the "group process" had been "disrupted" as a result, while Yannick Carrasco would slam the goalkeeper and claim the older players in the squad are disappointed with him.
“We've more or less understood what happened," the midfielder told RTBF. 'We had a meeting with the coach, who was clear with us.
“We, the older players, haven't yet had the opportunity to speak with Thibaut. But we were disappointed with his reaction. At the end of the day, he's a key member of the team, one of the three captains. An armband is just a detail.
'You have to show that you're a leader and a captain with your own personality. He chose to leave. Whether he was embarrassed or not, we don't know. But one of the reasons he left was also the armband. Now that's clear.”
Courtois’ fiancee would also wade in on the falling out herself on social media, amid claims that the goalkeeper’s decision is linked to his imminent wedding in the south of France.
“No-one can take away the legendary player you are, the leader, the fighter,” Israeli supermodel Mishel Gerzig worte on her Instagram story. “You always put the team and the club in front of you eyes and give your 1000%. Even when you are in pain. You never give up.
“I'm sorry to hear all the rumours that are spread by people that just waited for the opportunity to put you down or hurt your name. Those people don't understand that you are the definition of high quality football.
“A player that plays from the heart and a supporting, stable rock to his team-mates. A true leader, a real legend. And legends never go down. By no one.”
Handed his international debut in 2011, Courtois has won 102 caps for his country. But whenever he has been absent for Belgium, more often than not it has been former Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet who has stepped in deputise.
However, the shot-stopper retired from international football in March, having won 35 caps since his first call-up in 2010, with last year’s World Cup acting as his swansong.
"Some days we need to make tough decisions and today is one of them,” Mignolet wrote on Twitter. "After 13 years of representing my country, it's time for me to say goodbye to the Belgian Red Devils.
"Pride, honour and gratitude, three feelings that describe how I feel about this beautiful chapter in my career. All my team-mates, the staff, especially the fans, everyone, thank you."
With Mignolet unavailable to deputise as a result, Strasbourg goalkeeper Matz Sels was awarded his third cap against Estonia. Behind him, the uncapped pairing of Thomas Kaminski of Blackburn Rovers and Arnaud Bodart of Standard Liege sat in reserve.
If Courtois’ dispute with Tedesco proves to be the end of his international career, Belgium will be left to fill a massive void in goal, with the five-time capped Koen Casteels of VfL Wolfsburg the most experienced option still available for selection. Meanwhile, the Real Madrid star would be the latest experienced head Belgium would be left without after Toby Alderweireld and Axel Witsel both retired from international football after the World Cup, along with Hazard and Mignolet.
Yet this isn’t the first time the outspoken Courtois has become embroiled in something of a feud on the international stage. He famously fell out with De Bruyne after having a relationship with the Man City star's now ex-girlfirend, Caroline Lijnen.
In his 2014 autobiography, De Bruyne would reveal the pair have a professional relationship, but how former Belgium manager Marc Wilmots, a man Courtois has also fallen out with in the past and took legal action against in 2018 after being accused of leaking team information, had asked the Man City star if he wanted him to drop the goalkeeper.
“Although I still can not believe what Courtois has done, we continue to work together professionally [for Belgium],” De Bruyne wrote. “The coach asked me if he should leave the team.
“I do not think I had the right to say that he can not play for the national team anymore because he did something wrong. Of course, he remains a good goalkeeper. So I said he could stay.”
Meanwhile, Courtois also publicly criticised then-Liverpool goalkeeper Mignolet back in 2014 after his compatriot queried why he wasn’t playing for Belgium.
“Simon can say what he wants, but it won’t make any difference, he said in February 2014. “I think I have won points for Belgium [in the qualifying campaign], and I play at a high level with Atletico. You have to know how to stay humble and respectful, and he should remember that.
“It’s not the first time I hear this kind of declaration from him. It’s a pity to read this because I always have been respectful to other keepers, and that is something that should always apply.
“It does where I play. In Spain, you never hear other keepers saying they are aiming to take the place of [Iker] Casillas. You don’t hear anything like that from David De Gea, Victor Valdes or Pepe Reina. Instead, they all back Casillas, and that is how it should be.”
Courtois would double down on such a sentiment later that month when clarifying his comments. “When someone says he’s been unfairly dropped as Belgium’s No1 I see it as a personal attack on me,” he told Sport/Foot Magazine.
“It shows you don’t accept your manager’s calls — and you have no respect for the first choice. He needs to show respect for whoever is in that role.
"But I do not want my statements to be taken wrongly, as they were last time. Then it sounded like I said Mignolet must show no ambition. That's not true.
"I understand that he has the ambition of becoming the number one for Belgium. I only say you should also respect those who play."
Respect is of course an ongoing theme in the goalkeeper’s career, with the Real Madrid star hitting out at English football after his man-of-the-match performance in his side’s 1-0 Champions League final win over Liverpool last year.
''I saw a lot of tweets coming my way today saying that I will be humbled, but I think it was the other way around,” he said. ''Today I needed to win a final for my career, for all the hard work - to put respect on my name because I don't think I have a lot of respect in England.
''I had lots of criticism even after a great season saying I wasn't good enough or whatever. I'm just really happy and proud. When I needed to be there for the team, I was there."
