Belgium's Golden Generation Falls Short Again. Courtois Hits Back at Critics After World Cup Exit

The 34-year-old Courtois, 35-year-old Kevin De Bruyne, and 33-year-old Lukaku are part of an exceptionally talented generation of Belgian footballers. Despite their immense individual skill, this remarkable group of players, which also included Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, and Marouane Fellaini, never managed to win a major tournament. Their greatest achievement remains a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup.

“We almost always performed well at major tournaments. We are very proud of everything we have achieved so far. Of course, we often hear criticism like: 'The Golden Generation never won anything.' But we are Belgium. We are not England. We are not Spain. We are not France. We are a small country with fewer than 12 million inhabitants, and we have shown amazing things at major tournaments.

At the 2018 World Cup, I believe we played the best football of all the teams. That's something to be proud of. It's very easy to criticize and say: 'You didn't win anything.' But look at all the big names in world football. Not everyone has won a major tournament. We always tried our best. I think we can be proud,” Courtois declared.