Belgium Euro 2024 squad: The 25 players Domenico Tedesco is taking to Germany

Tedesco’s biggest drama arose in the goalkeeping department and involved one of his star players. World-class Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been sensationally left out after an ACL injury sidelined him for most of the season, with another knee injury seemingly putting paid to his chances in March.

He is remarkably fit again, but it wasn’t simply a matter of physical rehabilitation for the shot-stopper; he has had a monumental fallout with the head coach over being overlooked for the captaincy in June last year, and fanned the flames in March – calling Tedesco a liar on social media after the coach claimed he had “tried absolutely everything” to repair the relationship.

Wolfsburg’s Koen Casteels and Matz Sels, who joined Nottingham Forest in January, have both been deputising in the Madrid star’s absence, but Tedesco has confirmed the former will be his No.1 in Germany.

Belgium had been considering calling up Roma’s Mile Svilar, but he legally cannot switch allegiance back to the country of his birth having already represented Serbia.

Belgium’s most-capped player, Vertonghen, is still knocking about aged 36 and is surely set for his final tournament in Germany, but his long-term defensive partner Toby Alderweireld was not recalled amid rumours he could come out of international retirement.

Rennes’ versatile Arthur Theate has been given regular minutes alongside Vertonghen by Tedesco, having been included in the squad for the 2022 World Cup, as has Wout Faes of Leicester, but it’s still not clear exactly what the configuration will be.

Uncapped 23-year-old full-back Maxim De Cuyper has seen off competition from a host of other youngsters, including Burnley’s Ameen Al-Dakhil and Genoa’s Juventus loanee Koni De Winter, to make the final cut.

Looking as good as ever despite missing half the season after hamstring surgery, De Bruyne will undoubtedly be Belgium’s creator-in-chief in Germany. Based on Tedesco’s recent line-ups, the Man City star will be flanked by two more defensive-minded midfielders.

Axel Witsel is one such option as he has come out international retirement after just one year. The veteran will be competing for a starting place with Amadou Onana, Orel Mangala, Aster Vranckx and Youri Tielemans.

Young Arthur Vermeeren looks like being Belgium’s next midfield superstar, but fellow youngster and big-money Chelsea signing Romeo Lavia, 20, misses out after an injury nightmare this season.

Lukaku completes Belgium’s experienced spine and he will be expected to deliver the goods as the spearhead of the attack, but the configuration around him will look very different to the days of Dries Mertens and Eden Hazard. RB Leipzig hitman Lois Openda has won the battle to be Lukaku’s understudy, with Fenerbahce’s Michy Batshuayi – a staple of the squad – notably left out altogether.

Jeremy Doku’s impressive debut season at Man City should see him lock down a place out wide, and it will be interesting to see whether Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard can make himself a regular starter now that some big names have stepped aside, too.

In terms of youngsters, Charles De Ketelaere has earned his place after a fine loan spell with Atalanta, having endured a nightmare in his first season with AC Milan in 2022-23. PSV winger Johan Bakayoko, linked with Liverpool, is also on the plane.

In a little over a year at the helm, Tedesco has regularly tinkered with personnel and formations – although injuries and the Courtois situation have not helped his cause. As a result, it is not easy to predict exactly how his team will look come the summer. The Italian-German coach has deployed both 4-3-3 and back-three shapes in his brief time in charge, perhaps with a preference for the former.

In this transitional Belgium side, De Bruyne, Doku and Lukaku are arguably the only guaranteed starters as things stand, and even then Openda is breathing down the latter’s neck. Faes and Vertonghen should form the centre-back partnership, while Tielemans will be battling to displace Onana or Mangala in midfield.

Belgium XI (4-3-3): Casteels; Castagne, Faes, Vertonghen, Theate; Onana, Mangala, De Bruyne; Trossard, Lukaku, Doku.

Courtois’ absence is the headline when it comes to Belgium’s missing men. Amid his ongoing spat with the coach and after his injury setback, Tedesco had stated that he would not be called upon and he has stayed true to his word. Indeed, unless the goalkeeper and the manager can resolve their differences, Courtois’ international career may well be at its end after Tedesco renewed his contract until 2026.

The coach has made some big calls in attack, too, with Batshuayi a shock omission having been a mainstay of the squad since 2015. The 30-year-old had enjoyed a strong season in Turkey and has a good goal-scoring record for his country. AC Milan loanee Alexis Saelemaekers has also been left out after helping Bologna reach the Champions League under Thiago Motta.

Elsewhere, injury-plagued Chelsea youngster Lavia had no chance of making the squad after a setback in his recovery towards the end of the season. The midfielder saw just 32 minutes of action in just one appearance in 2023-24.

Eden Hazard’s brother, Thorgan, is sidelined having suffered a dreaded ACL injury in April, with the attacker expected to be out for eight months. He had struggled to break into Tedesco’s plans anyway, having returned to his homeland to join Anderlecht last summer.

Veteran forward Mertens was technically still available for selection, but the 36-year-old has been told by Tedesco that he will not be called upon again as a new era is ushered in.