The veteran goalkeeper said he was proud of Belgium's "golden generation" after their last attempt to lift a major trophy came to an end with a 2-1 defeat to Spain in the World Cup quarter-finals in Los Angeles.

Courtois watched the match from the bench as the sun began to set on the World Cup careers of several of his veteran teammates, including Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, at SoFi Stadium.

The 34-year-old Real Madrid goalkeeper, together with Napoli's De Bruyne, 35, and Lukaku, 33, were among the leading figures of Belgium's gifted generation, which topped the FIFA world rankings for several spells over the past decade.

However, that talented group, which also included the likes of Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany and Marouane Fellaini, failed to deliver at major tournaments. Their best achievement was a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup.

Friday's painful 2-1 defeat to Spain, following a mistake by substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens after Courtois went off injured in the 71st minute, marked another chapter in Belgium's familiar story of falling short on the biggest stage.