Ex-Schalke coach Domenico Tedesco tells how his career as a coach of the Belgian national team began in a dentist’s waiting room.
A painful review: Domenico Tedesco was eliminated at the EM 2024 as a coach of the Belgian national team in the round of 16 against France. “It’s really like pulling a plug. You put somewhere in the middle of an exciting thriller and then someone pulls off your electricity and you don’t know how to proceed,” Tedesco explained the disappointment and “emptiness” after the end of “Phrase mower” in the picture .
His career as a coach of the Red Devil in February 2023 started quite unusual: crucial for taking office as a national coach was a visit to the dentist. In order to bridge the long waiting time at the dentist, Tedesco took out his cell phone and became aware of the news that former coach Roberto Martinez had resigned in Belgium. The 39-year-old then forwarded the report to his media consultant via SMS.
Domenico Tedesco playing Israel against Belgium in the Uefa Nations League
“The Belgians advertised the position, that is usus there, especially for the position at the association. And I actually simply applied with a résumé,” revealed Tedesco.
“I don’t want that”
With the application he was successful with the team less. Above all, the differences with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois overshadowed the time of the German-Italian on the Belgian sidelines. According to media reports, Tedesco often felt the feeling of “wanting to clarify something again.” However, he said everything he had to say on the subject: “Actually, I didn’t actually say so much about it, but there was only a short press conference on my part.”
He wanted to avoid a public dispute and the spread of the topic: “As I said, you read what, you somehow want to make it clear, but then it leads to a ping pong. I don’t want that.”
“Basically, I am absolutely pure with myself on the topic,” was his conclusion to deal with the goalkeeper of the Madrilenen.
Dispute between Tedesco and Courtois
The decisive factor for the dispute between the coach and player is said to have been awarded the captain’s armband. In the qualification game against Austria, Kevin de Bruyne was missing as captain of the national team due to injury, so that Tedesco’s choice of captain fell on Romelu Lukaku.
The goalkeeper from Real Madrid initially traveled without reason and later mentioned an injury to his right knee as the reason. At the end of 2024 Courtois announced that he no longer wanted to train under Tedesco and explained the resignation from the national team.
The former Schalke trainer justified the departure by the fact that the 32-year-old was “disappointed and feels offended” because Lukaku had been preferred. What followed was a public mud fight.
Currently without a club
After several games without a win and the almost turned direct descent in the Nations League, the criticism of Tedesco increased more and more.
At the beginning of 2025 he finally lost his office as a national coach and was released by the Belgian association. In the podcast, he also spoke about whether he can imagine a return to the narrow.