The story of betrayal and the broken locker room that defines Belgium in the 2026 World Cup
Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois have a cold relationship off the field, but on it they will pull evenly with Belgium in search of eliminating Spain
It's already been 14 years of an uncomfortable, distant and practically non-existent relationship. The figures of the Belgian national team, Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois, limit their contact to the strictly professional level. This historic tension once again gains significance ahead of this Friday's crucial duel against Spain in the 2026 World Cup.
The origin of the conflict: Caroline Lijnen and a love revenge
The icy relationship originated from the romance that involved Caroline Lijnen, then the romantic partner of the Manchester City midfielder, with the current Real Madrid goalkeeper. That meeting occurred in retaliation for De Bruyne's previous infidelities.
The affair led to public revelations by Lijnen, who unceremoniously confessed to Story magazine: “Thibaut gave me in one night what Kevin did not give me in three years of relationship.”
The day Courtois was almost left out of the World Cup
From there, everything fell apart. The brotherhood between the leaders of the “Red Devils” went down in history. The tension reached such an extreme that, at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the then coach Marc Wilmots asked De Bruyne if he agreed to exclude the goalkeeper from the squad.
However, the steering wheel preferred not to aggravate the problem. Aware of the collective benefit, he rejected the proposal, recognizing that Belgium needed the best goalkeeper available to aspire to success.
Evident distancing in the 2026 World Cup
As the years went by, both continued with their lives and agreed on the selection. However, the truce is merely sporting. After the recent Belgian 4-1 victory over the United States in Seattle, the celebrations made it clear that the distance persists: there was not a single gesture of closeness that suggested the end of the personal conflict.
Under the command of coach Rudi García, Belgium faces the duel against Spain with all its stars available. Beyond the personal differences in the locker room, the objective is the same: to seal a place in the semifinals in what represents the “last dance” of this golden generation.