Thibaut Courtois says he wants to return as Belgium’s first-choice goalkeeper for the 2028 European Championship, despite sitting out the current Nations League campaign.
The 34-year-old Real Madrid goalkeeper discussed his international future, his club plans and a possible return to Genk on the Play talk show “Gert’s Table”, where he was interviewed by content creators Niel and Senne in Madrid.
Asked whether he wanted to be Belgium’s number one at Euro 2028, Courtois gave a direct answer: “Yes.”
Courtois is currently absent as Belgium compete for a place in the Nations League quarter-finals. He and head coach Mark van Bommel agreed that he would miss the whole Nations League campaign, after the goalkeeper said he needed to give his body time to recover.
Courtois had previously told DAZN that he might retire from international football after the World Cup. “But during the World Cup, I changed my mind,” he said.
His decision to sit out the current campaign does not represent the end of his Belgium career. Courtois said the plan had already been agreed and made public, while also acknowledging that he would need to fight for his place when he returns.
“This was also agreed upon beforehand and communicated externally,” he said. “Of course, I still have to compete for my position as agreed with the coach. Lammens has performed well, and competition is important. Belgium has very good goalkeepers.”
Courtois also addressed his relationship with Genk, the club where he developed and began his professional career.
In June, he bought a minority stake in Genk through his company NXTPLAY. The investment has led to speculation that he could eventually return to the Limburg club, but Courtois made clear that any future involvement would be away from the pitch.
“Since I own shares in Genk, perhaps I will return in a different capacity,” he said.
Genk supporters should not expect to see Courtois play for the club again. He said: “We’ve already done a lot of good things there, and I prefer to keep it that way.”
Courtois added that his intention was to finish his playing career at Real Madrid.
“I hope to end my career at Real Madrid,” he said.
For now, his focus remains on continuing at Real Madrid and competing for a return to the Belgium team. The goalkeeper’s target is to be involved at the 2028 European Championship, with his position still subject to competition from Lammens and Belgium’s other goalkeepers.
