Thibaut Courtois has been pictured relaxing on the beach and enjoying his honeymoon after being embroiled in Belgium’s captaincy drama.
Courtois and his Israeli wife Mishel Gerzig were spotted on the beach in Formentera following their wedding in Cannes last month.
The pair were seen paddling in the water before spending some quality time with their family members on the beach.
The 31-year-old goalkeeper appeared to be in good spirits despite his shock departure from Belgium’s international camp last month.
Courtois reportedly failed to arrive for international duty after Romelu Lukaku was named as the Belgium captain ahead of him for their game against Austria.
Thibaut Courtois has been pictured relaxing on the beach and enjoying his honeymoon
Courtois and his Israeli wife Mishel Gerzig were spotted on the beach in Formentera
In the absence of Belgium’s usual skipper Kevin De Bruyne, Lukaku led the team in a pre-planned move by head coach Domenico Tedesco.
Courtois was set to captain against Estonia instead, but the 31-year-old was furious with the decision and decided to make his feelings known.
As a result, he decided against meeting up with the squad when they gathered at their hotel to begin preparations for their Euro 2024 qualifier.
Courtois’s team-mates questioned whether the behaviour was linked to his marriage to Gerzig – the Israeli supermodel.
Het Nieuwsblad claimed that the Real Madrid goalkeeper was given extra time off two weeks ago to arrange something for his wedding.
It has also been reported that the former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid keeper was carrying a slight knock – which he asked Tedesco to ‘sell his absence on an injury’.
However, Tedesco is said to have refused and suggested that Courtois should explain the reasons for the absence himself.
Shortly after their conversation, Tedesco said: ‘Thibaut Courtois is very important to us. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate him.
Courtois failed to report for Belgium duty earlier this month after missing out on the captaincy
Romelu Lukaku (right) skippered Belgium for the draw against Austria, to the anger of Courtois
‘On Saturday I had a conversation with Romelu and Thibaut about the captaincy. Against Austria it was Lukaku, against Estonia, Thibaut gets the credit. It is important to us that he feels valued.’
Shortly after the spat, but before their wedding, Gerzig took to social media to give her thoughts on the situation.
She wrote the following on her Instagram story: ‘No one can take away the legendary player you are, the leader, the fighter.
‘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.’
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Further fuel was added to the fire when Courtois’ sister – Valerie – was seen wearing a captain’s armband in a social media post, just a week after the incident.
She had been attending her brother’s wedding ceremony when the photo was taken and it quickly made its way onto social media.
Shortly after the spat, but before their wedding, Mishel Gerzig took to social media to give her thoughts on the situation (pictured above)
Courtois’ sister, Valerie, wore an armband at her brother’s wedding, adding to the controversy
Courtois’ actions have clearly effected his relationship with his national team-mates, after Yannick Carrasco hit out at the goalkeeper’s antics.
‘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.’
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