Belgium winger Yannick Carrasco has revealed the team are ‘disappointed’ with Thibaut Courtois‘ decision to leave camp over a captaincy row.

Prior to their final Euro 2024 qualifying match against Estonia on Tuesday, Courtois departed the team early. Manager Domenico Tedesco reportedly claimed the Real Madrid goalkeeper quit the team out of irritation after not being selected captain.

Courtois later refuted such reports, citing injury concerns as the cause of his departure, but Carrasco has since disclosed that the players have sided with their manager.

“We’ve more or less understood what happened,” Carrasco told RBTF. “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.”

Tedesco has declined to comment on whether Courtois still has a future with the side and would postpone making a formal decision until after he names his team for the international games in September.

The Real Madrid goalkeeper, who turned 31 in May, has made 102 appearances for his nation and is still regarded as one of the best goalies in the world after recording 17 shutouts in all-league play last season.

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Kevin De Bruyne has been named the new captain of the Belgian national team following the retirement of Eden Hazard.

After Belgium’s early elimination from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which also signalled the end of former coach Roberto Martinez’s tenure, Eden Hazard made the decision to leave the international game. Domenico Tedesco, Martinez’s successor, was then given the task of selecting a new leader for the Red Devils.

Before to their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, the 37-year-old boss named De Bruyne as Belgium’s new captain. The Manchester City player has 97 caps for his country and 25 goals at the international level.

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“It’s an honour for me to be named and represent the country in this way,” De Bruyne told RTL-TVI television after the announcement.

“I’m almost 32. I’ve never considered international retirement. I think I can still bring something to the table and help the youngsters.”

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Inter forward Romelu Lukaku have been chosen as the two vice-captains.

De Bruyne has previously captained Belgium on multiple occasions, notably against Croatia in their last 2022 World Cup group-stage match.

In a 2024 European Championship Qualification on Friday against Sweden, De Bruyne will begin his tenure as the full-time captain of Belgium.

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Belgium have officially announced the appointment of Domenico Tedesco as their new first-team manager, after Roberto Martinez’s departure.

After Roberto Martinez left his position as national head coach in December, the Red Devils began looking for a replacement and have now turned to the Italian.

The national team website confirmed that Tedesco, 37, has a contract with them that lasts until after the 2024 Euros.

Speaking to the Belgian FA, Tedesco said: ‘For me it is a great honour to be the new head coach of Belgium. 

‘I’m really looking forward to the task and I’m extremely motivated. I had a very good feeling right from the first conversation.’

Domenico Tedesco is the new head coach of our Devils. Good luck, coach! 🤝🇧🇪 #DEVILTIME pic.twitter.com/KeHHPbVpB3

— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) February 8, 2023

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The Italian has previously held managerial positions at RB Leipzig, Spartak Moscow, and Schalke. In May of last year, he and the German club Leipzig won the DFB-Pokal.

Further information on Tedesco, provided by the Belgian FA, claimed that he ‘is known as a modern coach with top-level international experience, who likes to play an offensive style of football with plenty of forward pressure.’

The FA claim that ‘his mission is to qualify the Belgian Red Devils for the EURO 2024 in Germany.’

His first qualifying match in charge of the Red Devils will take place on March 24th in Stockholm against Sweden.

Ever since Roberto Martinez left as head coach of Belgium following their World Cup defeat, the country has been looking for a replacement.

The Red Devils were knocked out of the World Cup in the group phase, bringing the curtain down on Martinez’s time in charge of the side.

The Spaniard announced that the Croatia game would be his last in a tearful address at the post-match press conference.

‘It was really difficult to get the message that I was going to stop,’ Martinez said. ‘To you, but certainly to the players.

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