"It's time to pass the baton to a new generation": Courtois spoke about the future at Real...

Real Madrid and Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has shared his thoughts on his future at club and international level. The 34-year-old football player admitted that he is calm about the situation with his contract in the Madrid club, but does not rule out the end of his career in the national team after the 2026 World Cup. The Belgian's current contract with Real Madrid runs until the summer of 2027. According to the goalkeeper, the club has a practice of extending contracts with footballers over 30 years old for one season at a time. "At Real Madrid, the principle is that after 30 years, contracts are renewed every year separately, so I'm quite calm about it. If I continue to show the level of play I'm showing now, extending the contract will not be a problem. But Real Madrid is a club of the highest level, and at some point they will also have to think about my successor," said Courtois. The goalkeeper also commented on the prospect of continuing to play for the Belgian national team after the World Cup. "I don't know if now is the right time to talk about it, but the probability that I will not continue to play for the national team after the World Cup is greater than that I will stay. I am 34 years old and I have to think about my body. I want to play at the highest level for many more years. I think it is time to pass the baton to the new generation. They are ready," Courtois was quoted as saying by Marca. We will remind that after a serious knee injury received in 2023, Thibaut Courtois managed to return to his best level and remains the main goalkeeper of Real Madrid. At the same time, the Madrid club is also counting on the Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, who showed himself brightly during the Belgian's absence in the 2023/24 season and helped the team win a number of trophies, including the La Liga championship and the Champions League victory.