Thibaut Courtois Proud as Belgium's Golden Generation Fades

Thibaut Courtois proud as sun sets on Belgium's golden generation

Thibaut Courtois said he was proud of Belgium's fabled golden generation, as their final shot at winning a major title ended in a 2-1 World Cup quarter-final defeat by Spain on July 10.

The goalkeeper was forced to watch from the bench as the sun set on the World Cup careers of his veteran teammates, such as 35-year-old Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, 33, in Los Angeles. They were part of the lavishly talented crop of Belgian players who rose to the pinnacle of the world rankings for multiple years at different times over the past decade.

But a gifted player pool-which also included Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany and Marouane Fellaini-came up short at major tournaments, with their best performance a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup. The agonising loss on July 10, after a blunder by substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens who replaced the injured Courtois in the 71st minute, marked a familiar story for Belgium.

Speaking to journalists after the loss, Courtois was adamant that Belgium's old guard could look back at their tournament record with pride. He pointed out that in several cases, notably at the 2018 World Cup and European Championship in 2021, they had been eliminated by the eventual winners.

"In the big tournaments, almost always we have done well," the 34-year-old said. "We're very proud of everything we did till now. Obviously we get a lot of criticism like, 'The golden generation never won anything, and so on'. But we are Belgium. We're not England. We're not Spain. We're not France. We are a small country of not even 12 million people that in big tournaments is showing amazing things."

He added: "In 2018 (World Cup) I think we were playing the best football in that tournament. So there are things to be proud of. It's really easy to criticise and say, 'Yeah, you didn't win anything'. But look at all big names in football. Not everyone has won a big tournament and we always tried it. I think we can be proud."

While several members of the team who started on July 10 are well into their 30s, Courtois is confident that Belgium will continue to produce young talent in the future.

"We have great youth academies that are working well... there's young talent coming up and the guys that are younger now will get stronger the next years," he said. "And I'm hoping that for the Euros or the next World Cup, we'll get stronger. I think we have the spirit."

Courtois's optimism about the future of Belgian football is well-founded. The country has a strong tradition of producing talented young players, and with the right development and support, there is no reason why they cannot continue to compete at the highest level.

The loss to Spain may have marked the end of an era for Belgium's golden generation, but it also represents a new beginning for the team. With Courtois and other experienced players still involved, there is a strong foundation for the team to build on and look forward to the future with confidence.