Thibaut Courtois says the muscle injury that forced him out of Belgium's World Cup quarter-final against Spain has cleared up completely, and that he expects to report back for pre-season training with no restrictions, according to ONE.
The Real Madrid goalkeeper went off during the July 10 defeat to Spain unable to strike long kicks properly, a sign at the time that feared he had suffered something serious in the closing stages of Belgium's tournament.
Real Madrid ran tests on Courtois on July 13 at the club's Valdebebas training complex once he returned from international duty, and the results were reassuring: the muscle damage, in the quadriceps, was minor rather than the kind of tear that would have sidelined him for weeks.
"I'm no longer feeling any discomfort," Courtois said, according to ONE, adding that he intends to be ready to train as soon as his holiday ends and he rejoins the squad.
That timeline lines up with reporting from Managing Madrid and Football España, who say Courtois is on course to be fully available for Real Madrid's LaLiga opener against Real Sociedad next month. Spanish outlets add that the club may still hold him out of the August 1 pre-season friendly against Fiorentina as a precaution, even though the injury is not expected to cost him any meaningful pre-season work.
The scare comes at a significant moment for Courtois off the pitch as well. With Dani Carvajal's exit from the club, Real Madrid restructured its captaincy, and Courtois has moved up to third in the pecking order, outranked now only by new captain Fede Valverde and vice-captain Vinícius Júnior.
The 34-year-old has also made clear he sees his long-term future at the Bernabéu, saying he would like to remain at Real Madrid for another four or five years, remarks that come amid reports the club and his camp are already discussing a contract extension.
Courtois spent part of his recovery period away from the pitch entirely, attending the Tomorrowland festival in Belgium alongside his wife, the Israeli model Mishel Gerzig, a former IDF rescue-ship captain the goalkeeper married in 2023 and with whom he has a daughter, Ellie.
