Koen Casteels
Koen Casteels is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah.
Formed at Genk, Casteels spent most of his professional career in Germany with TSG Hoffenheim, Werder Bremen and VfL Wolfsburg. He made 283 Bundesliga appearances, mostly for Wolfsburg, where he won the 2015 DFL-Supercup.
Casteels made 37 appearances for Belgium up to under-21 level. He was first called up for the senior team in 2013 and was part of their squad that came third at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He was later chosen for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2024, and was first-choice at the latter.
Club career
Casteels was developed at K.R.C. Genk where he was a teammate of fellow goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. He was initially regarded as better than Courtois, but while he and several of the club's other goalkeepers were injured, Courtois broke into the team.Casteels was signed by VfL Wolfsburg from TSG Hoffenheim in January 2015, but spent the first six months of the three-and-a-half-year contract on loan at Werder Bremen. He played for Wolfsburg in the 2015 DFL-Supercup, saving from Xabi Alonso in the penalty shoot-out as his team won after a 1–1 draw.
When Diego Benaglio left Wolfsburg in June 2017, Casteels signed a new three-year contract with the club and was given the number 1 shirt. He appeared in all of the club's 34 Bundesliga matches during the 2017−18 season.
On 2 September 2023, Casteels announced that he would leave at the end of the 2023−24 Bundesliga season.
On 10 June 2024, Casteels joined newly promoted Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah on a three-year contract. He won the league's Golden Glove in his first season, having kept 14 clean sheets.
International career
Casteels was first called up to the senior Belgium team in May 2013. He was going to be part of Belgium's 2014 FIFA World Cup squad but failed to recover from an injury and was replaced by Silvio Proto and then Sammy Bossut.Manager Roberto Martínez often chose four goalkeepers in his international selections, and as the 2018 FIFA World Cup only permitted three, Casteels battled with Matz Sels for the final space behind Thibaut Courtois and Simon Mignolet. He was eventually chosen for the final 23-man squad to go to Russia.
Casteels made his full international debut on 8 September 2020, in a 5–1 win over Iceland for the UEFA Nations League.
Casteels was part of the Belgium squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but again did not play a minute.
After Courtois fell out with national team coach Domenico Tedesco, Casteels was chosen as first choice, with Tedesco describing him as one of the best in the world. Casteels played in all of Belgium's games at UEFA Euro 2024 and impressed, making important saves and also recording an assist in their 2–0 win over Romania.
On 10 March 2025, Casteels announced that he had quit the national team in frustration over the decision to bring Courtois back into the fold.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
GenkVfL Wolfsburg
- DFL-Supercup: 2015
- FIFA World Cup third place: 2018