Brazil 2014 the reason Courtois stayed in La Liga

Romelu Lukaku isn't the only high-profile Belgian who went out on loan this summer. Thibaut Courtois being reissued to Atletico Madrid wasn't nearly as dramatic as Lukaku's late move to Goodison Park, but it's still interesting, and now the man himself -- who's claimed that Chelsea wanted him in the Premier League this year -- has spoken up about why he's back in La Liga again:

It was a toss-up as to whether I returned to Chelsea in the summer. Either I would play regularly which would be great or I wouldn’t play and therefore risk losing my place in the Belgian team. That was too much of a risk in a World Cup year.

-Source: La Dernière Heure, translation via Belgofoot.

It makes plenty sense from Courtois' perspective. Being Cech's backup while Simon Mignolet starts at Liverpool would have scuppered his hopes of being Belgium's starting goalkeeper in Brazil this summer, so staying at a place in which he could both compete at a high level and feel secure of his spot was probably a wise decision.

But seriously, this is just one more example of international football having an undue influence on clubs and players. Can someone please make it go away?