Real Madrid News
Thibaut Courtois reveals the team he will support after Belgium’s World Cup exit
Belgium’s goalless draw with Croatia this evening meant that the European giants are out of the tournament, after finishing third in Group F, behind Morocco and Croatia.
Speaking after the match, the Belgian goalkeeper wished luck to all his Real Madrid teammates who are still participating in the World Cup. But most notably, he admitted his support for the Spanish national team during the remainder of the competition.
“Now I will support Spain, but I also want my Real Madrid colleagues to do well, so I also wish the best for Lukita, the Brazilians, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Rudiger. I hope everyone can go as far as they can and see the champion be one of them or more than one in December,” he said (h/t RM4Arab).
Modric was notably involved in the Croatia team that moved to the knockout rounds after a goalless draw with Belgium. As for Antonio Rudiger, his Germany team must secure a win and hope Spain beats Japan if they are to qualify for the next round.
The Brazilian national team, meanwhile, represented by Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, have their place in the knockout rounds sealed as well following back-to-back wins over Switzerland and Serbia respectively.
In his post-match speech, Courtois went on to offer his thoughts on Eden Hazard. The goalkeeper backed the former Chelsea star to do well in the future despite his apparent failure with the Belgian national team.
“Eden has shown he’s playing well. It’s a pity that today he only played 10 minutes. He is very good and deserves more chances. Psychologically, the substitution was a blow for him, I’m sure of that. He is a great player and can still give a lot to football,” he said.
Hazard has featured in all three of Belgium’s group matches in this World Cup. But the forward has not been able to be involved in a single goal. It has been the same case at the club level, with the player recording just one goal and one assist so far this season.
There is no way back for Eden Hazard at Real Madrid. The Belgian international has not given the management any reason to have faith in his abilities over his past four seasons at the club and is unsurprisingly the most important departure for the Merengues in the summer.
Hazard has one more year on his contract in Madrid. However, it is clear that Carlo Ancelotti does not trust him and that any potential replacement manager in the summer will echo his stance.
According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, Fenerbahce are willing to go all out to sign Hazard this summer. The Turkish side have made the former Chelsea their prime target, yet face a steep task ahead of them.
The 32-year-old is hellbent on seeing out his contract with Los Blancos despite seeing his career sink right before his eyes. It thus becomes complicated for the party to lure away the forward, especially in a competition outside Europe’s top five leagues.
Fenerbahce attempted to sign the winger in the recently concluded winter transfer market. They reached an agreement with Real Madrid but failed to get over the line as they could not convince the player of the move.
The biggest obstacle for the Turkish side will be convincing Hazard to make the move by letting go of his lucrative contract in Madrid. The chances are slim, but not impossible.
Hazard has made just three league appearances and one start for Ancelotti’s side this season in La Liga, a steep fall from last season’s 18 and seven respectively.
His last appearance for the team came back in January when Real Madrid faced Cacereno in the Copa del Rey. In La Liga however, he last played in September 2022 in a 4-1 win over Mallorca.
