The biggest game in U.S. soccer history begins Monday afternoon when the U.S. men’s national team faces Belgium in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
This game is highly anticipated, especially after whatever happened with US star striker Folarin Balogun’s red card in the last US game was suspended and Belgium’s appeal of the decision was rejected.
Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois goes off during a World Cup game. Xinhua/Shutterstock
One player who would surely like to see Balogun unable to play on Monday is Thibaut Courtois, the Belgium goalkeeper and one of the best goalkeepers in the world at the moment.
While Courtois will have his hands full with Balogun and the rest of the U.S. team on Monday, he will have at least some support in the game given that his wife, Israeli model Michelle Herzig, has been with him throughout the World Cup.
Thibaut Courtois and his wife Michelle pose at sunset. Michelle Gerzig
Michelle Herzig Courtois poses in a blue bikini. According to her Instagram (@mishelgerzig).
The two got married in 2023 after first meeting on Instagram in 2021. They currently have one daughter together, and Courtois also has two children from a previous relationship.
Herzig clearly enjoyed her time in the United States during this World Cup, as evidenced by her July 4th Instagram post that featured her in a blue bikini. The post was captioned “Fun days in LA 🩵🌴🌅” and included several photos of her, Courtois and their daughter together on the beach.
Courtois clearly approved of the post, commenting “😍😍😍💙💙💙.”
It’s good to see that the Courtois family had a good experience in the United States before Monday because hopefully their time in America will end in heartbreak after meeting Balogun and the rest of Team USA.