Belgian captain Kevin De Bruyne and star forward Romelu Lukaku have withdrawn from the national team’s squad for the upcoming matches against France and Italy, but this is just a pause, and neither player is retiring from international duty, Belgian newspapers Le Soir and Sudpresse reported.

Lukaku, 31, missed the last call-up in early September due to his transfer from Chelsea to Napoli during that period. National coach Domenico Tedesco had expressed confidence in having Belgium's all-time leading scorer for future selections.

Belgium previously defeated Israel 3-1 but lost to France 2-0 in the Nations League, the same competition in which they are set to face Italy on October 10 in Rome and France again on October 14 in Brussels.

De Bruyne, who is 33 and participated in those matches, was reportedly very frustrated after the game against France due to the team’s poor performance, even stating that some of his teammates did not do their jobs on the field.

Local media speculated that De Bruyne might consider leaving the national team, following the examples of other players from Belgium's "golden generation," such as Eden Hazard (33), Jan Vertonghen (37), and Thibaut Courtois (32), though Courtois has indicated he would be willing to return if there is a change in the coaching staff.

However, De Bruyne's absence is mainly due to an injury he suffered two weeks ago in the Champions League. Both he and Lukaku have spoken with Tedesco in recent weeks, and within the Federation, there is confidence that both players will continue to represent the national team at least until the 2026 World Cup, according to local press reports.