Courtois 'Proud' as Sun Sets on Belgium's 'Golden Generation'

Giant goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said he was proud of his country Belgium's "golden generation" on Friday after their latest attempt to win a major title ended with a 1-2 World Cup quarterfinal loss to Spain in Los Angeles.

Courtois had to watch from the substitutes' bench as the sun set on the World Cup careers of his veteran teammates, such as Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, at the SoFi Stadium.

The 34-year-old Real Madrid goalkeeper, along with Napoli's De Bruyne (35) and Lukaku (33), were among the key figures of the talented Belgian generation that topped the FIFA rankings for several years at different times during the past decade. But this distinguished group, which also included names like Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, and Marouane Fellaini, failed to succeed in major tournaments, with their best achievement being third place at the 2018 World Cup.

Friday's painful 1-2 loss to Spain, which came after a mistake by substitute goalkeeper Sini Laminis following Courtois' injury exit in the 71st minute, added a new chapter to Belgium's familiar story. One commentator said: "To be a golden generation, you have to win some gold, only then can you be called that."

But Courtois stressed to reporters after the loss that the veteran players can look back on their careers with pride, noting that they were eliminated on several occasions, especially at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2021, by teams that went on to win the title.

He said: "In major tournaments, we almost always performed well. We are very proud of everything we've done so far. Of course we get a lot of criticism like: the golden generation hasn't won anything, and so on." He added: "But we are Belgium. We are not England, we are not Spain, we are not France. We are a small country with a population of just 12 million, yet we show amazing things in major tournaments." He continued: "In 2018, I think we played the best football in that tournament. So there are things to be proud of."

He went on: "It's very easy to criticize and say: you haven't won anything. But look at all the big names in football, not everyone has won a major tournament, and we always tried. I think we can be proud." While many of the players who started on Friday are over 30, Courtois expressed confidence that Belgium will continue to produce young talent in the future.

He said: "We have great youth academies that work well... There are young talents coming, and the younger players will grow stronger in the coming years." He concluded: "I hope that in the next European Championship or World Cup we will become stronger. I think we have the spirit."