Madrid Universal
·24 March 2025
Real Madrid superstar missed Belgium game due to ‘muscle overload’ – report

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Yahoo sportsMadrid Universal
·24 March 2025
There was much excitement surrounding Thibaut Courtois ahead of Belgium’s game against Ukraine.
However, much to the disappointment of the Belgian fans, Courtois was not even named as part of the squad, sparking immediate fears over his fitness.
In the wake of Courtois’ absence against Ukraine, Belgium has reported that the Real Madrid goalkeeper had a muscle overload.
As reported by Rodra P, it appears the Belgian team had tested Courtois before kick off and opted not to take any risks with the goalkeeper, who has already struggled with injuries in the past few years.
However, the report adds that Courtois’ muscle overload is not at all serious and his absence against Ukraine was merely a precautionary measure.
Courtois was struggling with overload ahead of Ukraine game (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Courtois’ potential participation against Ukraine was significant given his long absence with the national team on account of a spat between him and former coach Domenico Tedesco.
Apart from the muscle overload, the Belgian is experiencing some discomfort in his patella, which is believed to be normal.
More details regarding the Belgian’s fitness is likely to come in the next few days and it will be interesting to see how Real Madrid approach the matter.
Should Courtois require rest after returning to the Spanish capital, Real Madrid will have Andriy Lunin ready as a replacement.
The Ukrainian has shown in the past that he is more than capable of replacing Courtois. Real Madrid, though, will ideally hope to have the latter available for action when they restart their campaign against Leganes on Saturday.