Thibaut Courtois’ sister poses with a captain’s armband at her brother’s wedding ceremony

Thibaut Courtois’ sister – Valerie – was seen wearing a captain’s armband in a social media post, just a week after her brother was embroiled in a captaincy drama.

Earlier this month, Courtois reportedly did not arrive for duty in Belgium after Romelu Lukaku was named captain ahead of him for their draw against Austria.

In the absence of regular skipper Kevin De Bruyne, Lukaku led the Red Devils with Courtois passed for the role in a move pre-planned by head coach Domenico Tedesco. Instead, the goalkeeper was expected to captain against Estonia.

However, Courtois was an exception to the decision and was not present when the squad gathered at their hotel to start preparations for their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier.

Now the drama has taken another twist after Courtois’ sister was seen wearing a captain’s armband and posing for a photo.

Thibaut Courtois didn’t show up for Belgium earlier this month after being overlooked for the national team captaincy

On Tuesday, photos of Valérie Courtois began circulating on Twitter which showed the player’s sister wearing the captain’s armband.

She was attending her brother’s wedding ceremony when the incident happened, before it was later shared on social media.

Reports, which emerged last week, suggested that Courtois’ marriage to Mishel Gerzig was linked to his erratic behavior and his departure from the national team.

Het Nieuwsblad have claimed that the Real Madrid goalkeeper was given extra time off two weeks ago to organize something for his wedding.

The Belgian players also had Sunday morning off – after the draw with Austria – to spend with friends and family before reporting to Tubize on the evening Courtois failed to show up.

This led to Tedesco and Belgian FA chief Frank Vercauteren trying to settle the matter with Courtois in the early hours of Monday morning.

Shortly after their conversation, Tedesco said: “Thibaut Courtois is very important to us. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate him.

‘Saturday I had a conversation with Romelu and Thibaut about the captaincy. Against Austria it was Lukaku, against Estonia, Thibaut has the merit.

“It’s important to us that he feels valued.”

Romelu Lukaku (right) skippered Belgium for the draw with Austria, much to Courtois’ anger

Valérie (middle) and Thibaut (right) have maintained a close relationship throughout their careers

Shortly after the spat, but before their wedding, Courtois’ partner took to social media to offer her thoughts on how the situation was developing.

In a post on Instagram Stories, Gerzig wrote, “Nobody can take away the legendary player that you are, the leader, the fighter.

“You always put the team and the club in front of your eyes and you give 1000%. Even when you are suffering. You never give up.

“I’m sorry to hear all the rumors being spread by people who were just waiting for an opportunity to put you down or hurt your name.

“These people don’t understand that you are the definition of high quality football. A player who plays with heart and strong, steady support for his teammates.

She also posted a message of support for her future husband as the row rumbles

Courtois’ actions have clearly affected his relationship with his national teammates, after Yannick Carrasco hit the antics of the goalkeeper.

“We more or less understood what happened,” said the midfielder RTBF. “We had a meeting with the coach, who was clear with us.

“We older players haven’t had a chance to speak with Thibaut yet. But we were disappointed with his reaction.

“At the end of the day, he’s a key member of the team, one of the three captains. An armband is just a detail.