It’s hard to miss once you see it. After Belgium’s win over Senegal, which sent the Red Devils past the Round of 32 and into a Round of 16 matchup with host nation the United States, Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne didn’t acknowledge each other as the team celebrated.
“It’s insane that De Bruyne and Courtois don’t even greet each other after a qualification,” user @flahenriquebr tweeted on X with a video of two Belgium superstars. “They even look at each other and just walk right past.”
For two players who have shared a locker room for over a decade and were once close enough to call each other friends, the silence still stands out. But how did it reach this point?
How the Rift Between Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois Began
The tension between Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne traces back to a relationship that ended more than ten years ago.
De Bruyne dated Caroline Lijnen, a former tennis player, from 2010 to roughly 2013. According to Lijnen’s account in a 2014 interview with Story Magazine, the relationship broke down in the summer of 2012 after De Bruyne told her he’d had an affair with one of her closest friends. She said she considered giving him another chance, but the relationship was never the same.
The following year, while Courtois was on loan at Atlético Madrid from Chelsea, Lijnen traveled to Madrid and became ‘involved’ with him. Lijnen later said Courtois offered her attention and care she felt she hadn’t gotten from De Bruyne, and that she partly saw it as a response to being cheated on herself.
The situation didn’t become public knowledge until 2014, when De Bruyne referenced it in his autobiography, Keep It Simple. For De Bruyne, the betrayal cut deeper than an ordinary breakup because Courtois wasn’t just an ex’s new partner; he was a teammate De Bruyne saw constantly with the national team, at a moment when Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’ was just beginning to take shape.
The fallout reportedly reached then-Belgium manager Marc Wilmots, who asked De Bruyne directly whether he wanted Courtois removed from the squad over the personal conflict. De Bruyne said no, reportedly telling Wilmots, “He’s a good goalkeeper, he should stay for the team.”
A Professional Peace, But Nothing More
In the years since, Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne have continued to line up together for Belgium.
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast in 2025, Courtois offered De Bruyne unprompted praise, calling him “a guy with a lot of talent, but also very hardworking,” and noting how much growth he’d seen in him since their days coming up together.
Off the pitch, both have moved on in their personal lives. De Bruyne married Michèle Lacroix in 2017, and the couple now has three children. Courtois married model Mishel Gerzig in 2023.
Still, what happened after the Senegal match shows that De Bruyne and Courtois still can’t face each other after the saga surrounding Caroline Lijnen.
Belgium face off against the United States on Monday, July 6th at 5 pm PT. The winner will face off against Spain on Friday, July 10th at 12 pm PT.
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