Thibaut Courtois has been left out of Belgium's squad for Euro 2024, even though the Real Madrid goalkeeper could play in Saturday's Champions League final.
Courtois left the Belgian team last June when he was not named captain following the retirement of Eden Hazard, sparking a public row with coach Domenico Tedesco.
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The 32-year-old was criticized by his teammates and has since expressed his regret.
Coutois has been sidelined for much of the season after suffering two serious knee injuries. He returned against Cádiz in LaLiga on May 4, before missing the second leg of Madrid's Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich. Since then he has kept a clean sheet against Granada, Alavés and Real Betis.
Sources have told ESPN that the club believe that if he is fit, there is no doubt he will start in the Champions League final.
“Courtois was very clear and honest from the beginning in his communication. The latest information we received is that he is not ready for the European Championship. He knows his body best,” Tedesco said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Although the rules allow coaches to take a 26-man team to the tournament, Tedesco decided to name only 25 players in the group he will take to Germany.
Tuesday's team included the call-up of Axel Witsel, who had announced his international retirement last year. His return comes after Tedesco visited Atlético de Madrid to convince the midfielder to return to the team.
The 35-year-old made the last of his 130 appearances at the World Cup in Qatar, where Belgium was eliminated in the group stage.
“I've had Axel in mind for a long time, even during qualifying,” Tedesco said. “It's about quality, Witsel offers a lot of quality.
“He is a key player at Atlético de Madrid. I met him, I wanted to see him, look him in the eyes. We need him, he has experience and can help young players. Experience in that position is important. We are playing in a European Championship, that It's not little”.
Former Ajax and Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen, who has made 154 international appearances for his country, has been included in the squad at the age of 37. The team also includes top scorer Romelu Lukaku, who has scored 83 goals in 114 appearances for his country.
Belgium team:
Goalkeepers: Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg), Thomas Kaminski (Luton Town), Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest)
Defenders: Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge), Zeno Debast (Anderlecht), Wout Faes (Leicester City), Thomas Meunier (Trabzonspor), Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht), Arthur Theate (Stade Rennais), Axel Witsel (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielders: Yannick Carrasco (Al Shabab), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Orel Mangala (Lyon), Amadou Onana (Everton), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Arthur Vermeeren (Atlético de Madrid), Aster Vranckx (vfL Wolfsburg)
Forwards: Johan Bakayoko (PSV Eindhoven), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Romelu Lukaku (Roma), Dodi Lukebakio (Sevilla), Lois Openda (RB Leipzig), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal).
Reuters reporting contributed to this report.
