​Thibaut Courtois said on Friday that he was proud of Belgium’s famed “Golden Generation” as their last chance at lifting a major trophy ended in a World Cup quarter-final defeat to Spain. The Real Madrid goalkeeper was left on the bench while the sun set on the World Cup careers of veteran teammates such as Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku at SoFi Stadium. At 34, Courtois joined De Bruyne, 35, and Lukaku, 33, in a group of supremely gifted Belgian players who once climbed to the pinnacle of FIFA’s rankings for stretches across the past decade. That same era also included Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany and Marouane Fellaini, a pool of talent that fell short in major tournaments, with their best finish a third place at the 2018 World Cup.
The 2-1 defeat on Friday, coming after a mistake by substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens after Courtois left the field with an injury in the 71st minute, underscored a familiar Belgium story. As one commentator put it, to be called a golden generation you must win gold, and Belgium has not done so.
Speaking to reporters after the loss, Courtois insisted that Belgium’s veteran core could regard their tournament record with pride, noting that they had often been eliminated by the eventual champions in several campaigns, including the 2018 World Cup and the 2021 European Championship. “In the big tournaments, almost always we have done well,” he said. “We’re very proud of everything we did until now. Obviously we receive a lot of criticism, like ‘The golden generation never won anything,’ and so on.”
But Courtois emphasized that Belgium is different from larger nations. “We are Belgium. We’re not England. We’re not Spain. We’re not France. We’re a small country of not even 12 million people that, in big tournaments, is showing amazing things. In 2018, I think we were playing the best football in that tournament, so there are things to be proud of.” He acknowledged that it is easy to criticize and claim the group did not win anything, yet he urged people to look at the broader context of football, where many big names have not captured major titles either. “Not everyone has won a big tournament, and we always tried,” he said. “I think we can be proud.”
While several starters on Friday are well into their 30s, Courtois expressed confidence that Belgium will continue to cultivate young talent in the coming years. He highlighted the strength of the country’s youth academies and the emergence of younger players who will grow stronger over time. “There’s young talent coming up, and the guys who are younger now will get stronger in the next years,” he said. “I’m hoping that for the Euros or the next World Cup, we’ll be stronger. I think we have the spirit.