The love triangle involving Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois has become a sensational topic in the media for quite some time. However, few are aware of the true reasons behind Caroline Lijnen’s decision to “cheat” on De Bruyne.
The famous love triangle
Caroline Lijnen, the former girlfriend of De Bruyne, who deceived him to engage in a relationship with Thibaut Courtois, was once widely recognized. The actions of Caroline not only left De Bruyne heartbroken but also ignited a rift between the two star players of the Belgian national team.
In 2014, Caroline Lijnen disclosed that she deceived De Bruyne to have an affair with Thibaut Courtois. The affair commenced in 2012 when both players were on loan from Chelsea. While De Bruyne played for Werder Bremen, Courtois was with Atletico Madrid. Despite not playing together at Chelsea, De Bruyne and Courtois remained teammates for the national team, leading to evident tension.
De Bruyne and Courtois were previously close friends, but this friendship came to an end following the aforementioned incident. In an interview, Lijnen explained that she met Courtois in Madrid during a visit to her friend, and their romance blossomed when Courtois prepared a sumptuous meal for her.
According to Caroline, she decided to deceive Kevin after he did the same to her closest friend. “Kevin deceived me,” Lijnen told Story magazine in 2014. “I remained silent for many months because I couldn’t say anything. Kevin’s parents threatened to sue if I revealed my story. I faced immense pressure. I respected them. But in his book, Keep it Simple, Kevin wrote about my affair with Thibaut. That’s when I decided not to remain silent anymore.”
“In the summer of 2012, Kevin told me he was cheating on my closest friend. I gave him a choice: my friend or me. I was willing to give him another chance, but our relationship never returned to what it was.”
“Later, I went to Madrid to visit a friend. I asked Kevin for his opinion, and he thought the trip was a good idea. But then something happened that should never have happened. However, I have no regrets. Kevin and I hadn’t been together for long, and I found solace in Thibaut’s arms.”
“That evening, Thibaut offered me something I had never received in my three-year relationship with Kevin. With Thibaut, I could talk about anything, and he even prepared a delicious meal for me. Kevin had never done that for me. Kevin disappointed me, and I thought, ‘Why shouldn’t I do this?'”
The underlying tension between De Bruyne and Courtois
Following this incident, De Bruyne and Courtois have never publicly shared or criticized each other. The midfielder of Man City only mentioned this in his autobiography “Keep it Simple”.
In the autobiography, there is a passage: “My girlfriend at the time, Caroline, went on a trip to Madrid with friends. There, Thibaut cheated on Caroline. He later told a friend of mine about it. That wasn’t very smart. Before, Thibaut and I were friends, although we weren’t close friends. Now, our relationship is only teammates in the national team.”
Former Belgium national team coach Marc Wilmots even asked De Bruyne whether Courtois should be called up again or not. Kevin’s answer was straightforward. “Although I still can’t believe what Courtois did, we continue to play together professionally,” he wrote in his autobiography.
“The coach asked me if Courtois should leave the team. I don’t think I have the right to say he can’t play for the national team anymore because he did something wrong. Of course, he is still a good goalkeeper. So, I said he could stay.”
When everything was exposed by the press, the love triangle was discovered and immediately De Bruyne broke up with his beautiful girlfriend Caroline, and “didn’t bother talking to his friend Courtois”. Caroline then also ended her short-lived relationship with Courtois when he returned to England wearing Chelsea’s shirt.
De Bruyne and Courtois then didn’t talk much to each other. The midfielder of Man City married Michelle Lacroix, while Courtois recently proposed to Mishel Gerzig. However, their love triangle is still occasionally mentioned in the media.