Belgium's Courtois thinking about retiring from international duty after World Cup

[p]The 34-year-old, who won the first of his 109 caps in 2011, ‌suggested it was time to pass the torch after ‌the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States.[/p][p][b]“I don’t know ‌if we should be talking about the future right ‌now, but the chances are greater that I won’t continue after this tournament than that I will,”[/b] he told reporters at the Belgian ‌team base.[/p][p][b]“I still want to play for ⁠a few more years.[/b][/p][p][b]“And ‌then you have to take care of your body. My family is ​here because this could be my last tournament.”[/b][/p][p]But the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/real-madrid/W8mj7MDD/"]Real Madrid[/a] goalkeeper also suggested he could be ​persuaded to continue.[/p][p][b]“If we have a good World Cup, of course. And continuing to feel the good atmosphere within the ⁠group. Afterward, I’ll ​need to have an internal discussion with the coach, (technical director) Vincent Mannaert, and the doctors.”[/b][/p][embed guid="73502280-15e4-4ef8-9360-cf1288a1ea66" url="https://x.com/JoueursBE/status/2065118344978604540" social-type="twitter" /][p]Courtois said that under former coach Domenico Tedesco he was allowed to skip some international breaks, and ‌that reinforced his thinking.[/p][p][b]“I noticed that during those international breaks you can get some rest and work quietly in the gym,”[/b] he said.[/p][p]“In addition, over the last year and a half, I’ve had more little physical problems and injuries, so you naturally think more about the future.[/p][p][b]"I’m considering passing the torch. There’s a lot of talent coming through with Senne (Lammers) and Mike (Penders).”[/b][/p][p]Courtois said he was raring to go against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/egypt/bejDn7NN/"]‌Egypt[/a] on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/belgium-GbB957na/egypt-bejDn7NN/?mid=dG7zgzd5"]Monday[/a].[/p][p][b]“Yes, I’m very hungry, just like the rest ​of the group. I feel very good and I’m ‌looking forward to it.[/b][/p][p][b]“I also worked very hard on my comeback during the spring. The (quadriceps) injury was unfortunate because at that moment I felt almost unbeatable. But I’m ready to maintain my level now and stay focused,”[/b] ⁠he added.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/belgium/GbB957na/"]Belgium[/a] also face [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/iran/xrRx85iA/"]Iran[/a] ⁠and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-zealand/rLctHkpU/"]New Zealand[/a] in ‌the group stage.[/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /]