As happy as the 2026 World Cup was for Real Madrid fans with so many superstars scoring goals and breaking records with awards, Spain and Marc Cucurella winning, and Lionel Messi going out a villain, there were some sad scenes for the Madridistas, too. Casemiro, Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Thibaut Courtois are all veteran legends nearing - or at - the end whose World Cups ended in sadness, and while Courtois will likely get another bite of the apple unlike the other icons, he was also left in tears with an injury - and his injury prevented Belgium from scoring an unlikely upset over the Spanish national team, as his backup spilled the winning goal.
Courtois has been a titan between the sticks for years for Belgium, a star of the golden generation that Roberto Martinez, Marc Wilmots, and others have wasted. Belgium have never been able to find a competent manager to guide them, and clearly this summer's hire, failed Napoli manager Rudi Garcia, is no solution either.
The Real Madrid legend is going to be taking a break from the Belgian national team for a year - or else he will retire - after sufferng an injury this summer, and the toll of all the games he has to play for Real Madrid and Belgium at the age of 34 has left him to make this decision.
Belgium are magnets for controversy
But now, as Belgium look for their next manager, Thibaut Courtois now has to ponder a wild gamble his controversial federation could make. According to a report from Belgian journalist Pieter-Jan Calcoen, via Sacha Tavolieri of Sky Sports, who is the most plugged in insider there is to Belgian football, Mark van Bommel is the favorite to become the next Belgium manager. The Red Devils are also thinking about Portuguese manager Sergio Conceicao, but MVB is the main target. And a deal could be closed this week.
A former Dutch international who won two Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich and both La Liga and the Champions League with Barcelona (as well as Serie A with AC Milan), Van Bommel was a world class defensive midfielder in the 2000s. Known for his hot temper, the 2010 World Cup Finalist had a take no prisoners approach but was also a very adept player technically.
As a coach, Van Bommel is less proven than he was as a player. He did, however, win the Belgian top flight and was the league's best manager in 2022/23 for Royal Antwerp, and that was a huge story. So unlike the coaches who have been at Belgium before, he has a pedigree of winning. But he is not a huge name by any means or proven at the elite level, so this would be a huge gamble for Courtois to watch.
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