Thibaut Courtois questions Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’ label after World Cup exit

Belgian national team goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has, late on Thursday, provided his take on the latest disappointment endured by the nation’s ‘Golden Generation’ of stars.

Roberto Martinez’s troops, of course, were back in action a short time ago.

Facing elimination from the World Cup in the face, Belgium made the trip to The Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, aware that a positive result was something of a must in a crunch Group F showdown with Croatia.

When all was said and done this evening, though, the Red Devils, once more, failed to get the job done.

Despite carving out a host of presentable opportunities in front of goal over the course of the 2nd-half, a 0-0 stalemate, coupled with a Morocco triumph over Canada, meant that Martinez and co. stumbled and fell at the very first hurdle in Qatar.

On the back of their elimination being made official, in turn, it should come as little surprise to hear of Belgium being on the receiving end of widespread criticism late on Thursday.

After failing once more to live up to their billing as one of world football’s standout nations, the Red Devils’ ‘Golden Generation’ - featuring the talents of the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen - appears to have blown their final shot at clinching a major trophy.

On another dark day for Belgian football, another long-time servant of the national team setup, in turn, was drawn on the situation post-match.

The individual in question - Thibaut Courtois - however, was instead keen to shift focus onto the fact that he and his teammates were ever labelled a ‘Golden’ crop of players in the first place.

Calling into question the validity of such a title, the Real Madrid shot-stopper insisted that it simply ‘doesn’t make sense’:

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