Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and gone through with his decision to take a break from the Belgium national team for their upcoming showdowns.
Last night, Real Madrid again had their goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to thank for saving them, as he made a string of crucial saves in the team's 2-1 win over Inter Milan on match day one of the UEFA Champions League.
Over the course of the game, he made seven saves, including two from inside the box. One early on, just moments before Real Madrid took the lead, and one in the second half to deny Lautaro Martinez from point blank range.
You could genuinely make the argument that Courtois is Los Blancos' most important player. He is so crucial to the team. Last year, he was not available for a crucial part of the season, including the Champions League quarter-final tie with Bayern Munich, and it was costly.
So, this season, the importance of the 34-year old remaining fit and available cannot be overstated. The team needs him more than anyone. Well, fortunately the chances of him being available have just increased.
Indeed so, as after the game with Inter, he told Belgian outlet HNL (via MadridXtra) that he will not play any of Belgium's UEFA Nations League games during the autumn: "I will not play the entire Nations League with Belgium. If the manager has injury problems, I could be called up.
If the goalkeeper impresses, [Mark] van Bommel may stick with him. I want to fight for my place and prove I am number one again."
The Red Devils are set to play Italy, Turkey and France in their group of the Nations League A, playing each side home and away. Four of those games will come in the extended international break between September and October, but Courtois will not be a part of it, so there will be no clashes with club team mates Kylian Mbappe, Arda Guler and co.
This is not some sort of premediated, emotional decision, it is one he has clearly wanted to make for a while. After Belgium were knocked out of the FIFA World Cup, he said (also via MadridXtra), that he wanted to take a year long break from the national team, before coming back into the fold for the Euro 2028 qualifiers next autumn.
Clearly good news for Real Madrid for him to have these rests during the breaks. You may think it less important for a keeper, but we know that Courtois is prone to the odd injury or two. In fact, it was him going off injured that cost Belgium against Spain at the World Cup.
Should Belgium finish top two in their Nations League group, they will advance to the quarter-finals to be played in March. If they advance there, they will be part of the final four next June. How much part he would play in that remains to be seen.
