Eduardo Camavinga, midfielder for the French national team and Real Madrid, admitted it's "good" for his team that Thibaut Courtois isn't in goal for Belgium, their opponent in the Round of 16 of EURO 2024, because "he stops everything," and emphasized that his team is "ready" for "a new competition" with the start of the knockout stages.

His Real Madrid teammate, one of the best goalkeepers in the world, was not called up by Belgian coach Domenico Tedesco, due to a severe knee injury that he returned from just before the tournament, including the Champions League final, and the ongoing conflict since the coach chose Romelu Lukaku as captain over him when Kevin De Bruyne was unavailable.

"It's good for us that he's not playing (for Belgium) because he's a great goalkeeper. He stops everything," the midfielder explained at a press conference in the German city of Paderborn, where France is training for Euro 2024, awaiting their Round of 16 match against Belgium next Monday in Düsseldorf.

Kevin De Bruyne will be playing. "I don't have the secret to stopping him. He's a great player, moves all over the field. The most important thing is to stay compact in defense," he said about Belgium's star player.

"Belgium is still a great team, with great players. The past is the past. These are decisive matches. We have to be ready," explained Camavinga, emphasizing the new competition that starts now, with the knockout rounds, no room for error, after a first phase with one win and two draws for France, second in Group D.

"The mentality changes. In the first phase, you think you have other games to play, but now, in the Round of 16, for example, you know that if you lose, you're out. It's different," said the Madrid player.

So far, Camavinga has played in two of the three matches in this Euro, but both as a substitute. He came on in the 71st minute against Austria and the 61st minute against Poland. He didn't get any playing time against the Netherlands. "We all want to play. Not playing much doesn't make me happy. But I've learned in football that my moment will come one day or another. You have to be ready at all times," he concluded.