For almost seven years, Thibaut Courtois has been Real Madrid’s saviour in goal.
The 32-year-old Belgian has made 270 appearances for Madrid and kept 80 clean sheets since joining from Chelsea for €35million ($37m; £29m at current exchange rates) in 2018. He has lifted three La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues and the Copa del Rey.
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Yet it is easy to forget that Courtois was the Atletico Madrid goalkeeper who conceded the most important goal in Real’s modern history — Sergio Ramos’ equalising header in the 93rd minute of the 2014 Champions League final. Los Blancos went on to win 4-1 in extra time to lift La Decima, their previously elusive 10th European Cup/Champions League.
Courtois can claim to be one of the best keepers in Madrid’s history — so what makes him so good?
As Real prepare to face Courtois’ former club in the Champions League round of 16, The Athletic has spoken to former Madrid No 1s and people close to him to find out.
‘Much better than the rest’
Santiago Canizares, the Madrid keeper between 1994 and 1998 and now TV pundit, summed up Courtois’ remarkable consistency after Madrid’s 3-1 Champions League win against Stuttgart in September.
“Courtois is the (Lionel) Messi, (Diego) Maradona or Cristiano (Ronaldo) of goalkeeping,” he said during Movistar’s analysis of that game. “He is much better than the rest and he is there every day. We’ve got used to seeing important saves… (including from) quick shots in the top corner. In another goalkeeper we would highlight that and here we’ve got used to it being normal with Courtois. For me, that’s his greatness. He is, without doubt, the best goalkeeper I have ever seen.”
The Athletic’s goalkeeping analyst and former No 1 Matt Pyzdrowski agrees that we have become used to consistently brilliant performances from Courtois. “The hardest thing is to be as good as him for as long as he has been,” he says. “To have been at the elite level for 10-plus years and never really have a dip in form is absolutely ridiculous.”
Of the 524 non-penalty shots Courtois has faced in La Liga since 2019-20, he has conceded 109 goals from an expected goals on target (xGOT) value of 129.3. This means the Belgian has prevented 21.2 more goals than expected based on the quality of shots he has faced.
The below graphic tracks Courtois’ expected goal prevention on a 10-game rolling average. Blue shading indicates periods where he has saved more goals than expected, while red shading highlights instances where he has conceded more. Aside from two brief dips in 2021-22 and 2022-23, the Belgian international has consistently outperformed expectations — with his peak coming this season (the gap last season was when he was out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury).
Perfection in Paris
You will find no better example of Courtois’ shot-stopping than his performance in the 2022 Champions League final against Liverpool, when he made nine saves — the most recorded by Opta in a final since 2003-04 — to help Madrid lift their 14th Champions League title.
One that sticks in the mind is this 64th-minute effort from Mohamed Salah which Courtois tipped round the post.
(Real Madrid/YouTube)
“This is one of the best games of his career, if not the best, that I can remember… It felt like, even if they had played another 90 minutes, Liverpool would never have scored,” says Pyzdrowski.
GO DEEPER
Breaking down Thibaut Courtois’ match-winning saves for Real against Liverpool
Not for the first time, Courtois appeared almost unbeatable. In Madrid’s semi-final comeback at the Bernabeu against Manchester City — in the 87th minute when they were 1-0 down on the night and losing 5-3 on aggregate — Courtois saved a Jack Grealish shot with the outside of his left boot. The Bernabeu celebrated as if Madrid had scored.
There was another example of Courtois’ fine reflexes in Madrid’s 2-1 defeat against Real Betis on Saturday. He was unable to keep out Johnny Cardoso’s point-blank header from a corner to make it 1-1 despite getting two hands to it, but more than made up for that by scooping another header from the USMNT midfielder over the bar in first-half stoppage time.
(Premier Sports)
(Premier Sports)
Courtois works at Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground with goalkeeping coach Luis Llopis, back-up keeper Andriy Lunin and youth-team goalkeepers Fran Gonzalez and Sergio Mestre. Those who deal with him every day say he focuses on coordination, explosiveness, his technique and decision-making.
“Thibaut is extraordinary, very humble and with a daily determination to work on every detail that can help him achieve excellence,” says Thierry Baarnerat, an external analyst who has worked with Courtois for the past four years. “There is the work on the pitch and in the gym, which varies depending on the period, and all the invisible work related to injury prevention, nutrition, recovery.”
What a wingspan
The first thing that strikes you about Courtois is his impressive height — he is 6ft 7in (200cm), taller than former Madrid ‘keepers Iker Casillas (6ft 1in), Keylor Navas (6ft 1in) and Diego Lopez (6ft 5in).
“We are quite different,” Casillas, who played 725 times for Madrid from 1999-2015, tells The Athletic when asked about similarities with Courtois.
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“He has a much bigger wingspan than me, but that doesn’t mean that when he was little he didn’t idolise me when he saw me at Madrid. He’s quick, he’s agile, he’s very difficult to beat in one-on-ones. He has some characteristics that give him an advantage over the rest, especially with the wingspan he has.”
Casillas presents Courtois with the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper in 2022 (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Courtois has his sporting parents to thank for his genetics: his father Thierry and mother Gitte were volleyball players. But Madrid staff sources say Courtois’ ability goes beyond his physique, highlighting his peripheral vision and sense of anticipation.
According to Jose Araquistain, Madrid’s goalkeeper from 1961-1968 who helped them win the European Cup in 1966, Courtois is a symbol of a new, physically imposing generation of goalkeepers.
“For a few years now, coaches have liked big goalkeepers,” Araquistain, now 87, tells The Athletic. “But Courtois has all the conditions that a Madrid keeper has to have. He has a big wingspan and, for the size he is, great reflexes.”
Francisco ‘Paco’ Buyo was Madrid No 1 from 1986-97, won six league titles and agrees with Araquistain.
“What surprises me about Courtois is the ease with which he gets to the ground at two metres tall,” the now 67-year-old tells The Athletic. “He has great reaction speed and not all goalkeepers of that height have that.”
Baarnerat, Courtois’ external analyst, thinks his height can be deceiving.
“Height is one of the decisive factors, but not for the reasons that are often mentioned by several people, which are false beliefs, such as the fact that being tall would make it easier for him to claim aerial balls,” he says. “Height is essential for one-on-one situations, as his wingspan (approximately 200cm, according to Baarnerat, the same as his height) allows him to close down a larger area.”
‘A mental monster’
Last season, Courtois suffered a significant setback when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee. He also had to undergo meniscus surgery in the final stages of his recovery, meaning he was sidelined for almost nine months.
Lunin stepped up well in Courtois’ absence, but was replaced for the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley — with the Belgian helping Madrid lift the trophy with a 2-0 win. “Lunin has had a fantastic season and Courtois, when he is at his level, is the best in the world,” head coach Carlo Ancelotti said at the time.
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During those difficult months of recovery, the Madrid staff were impressed by his mentality.
“Thibaut is a hard worker, he put all his energy into getting back on the pitch as soon as possible and showed he had extraordinary resilience when he suffered his second knee (meniscus) injury,” adds his analyst Baarnerat.
Courtois with an object thrown at him from the Metropolitano stands in September (Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
Courtois will also have to withstand the pressures that come with facing his old team again in this Champions League last-16 tie. Since joining Real, the goalkeeper has had several run-ins with Atletico fans, who often target him with chants. This season, the sides’ first derby in La Liga was suspended for 15 minutes after objects were thrown at him from the Metropolitano stands.
“Being a Real Madrid goalkeeper is to be subjected to that pressure,” says Buyo, who played in fiery derbies. “You have to overcome it, stay focused and forget about it, it is the best thing to do. You have to have the mental strength to face those circumstances.”
Baarnerat says: “He has been able to deal with many situations that have given him mental strength and emotional stability… He is like a Formula One driver, he works on all the performance parameters to make the most of his potential.”
A captain in all but name
It is no surprise — given all of the above — that Courtois has become a leader of Madrid’s dressing room.
He is often one of the first players to front up to the media after a big defeat. After Los Blancos’ 4-0 Champions League semi-final second leg defeat by Manchester City at the Etihad in 2023, he appeared in the stadium’s mixed zone to speak to reporters.
Courtois is not one of Madrid’s captains — this is decided by how many years players have spent at the club, so he is behind Luka Modric, Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez and Federico Valverde. But Buyo says he acts like one.
“Courtois sees football from the back, from a different perspective and has the personality to lead the dressing room,” he says. “Over the years he has learnt the job of captain.”
Buyo says Courtois has become a de facto captain at Madrid (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Some of Madrid’s greatest ‘keepers — such as 1930s legend Ricardo Zamora, Buyo and Casillas — have also become captain, so Courtois would be in good company.
His consistency for Madrid has coincided with a turbulent time with his national team. In August, the 102-cap Courtois announced his decision to no longer play while Domenico Tedesco was in charge after a public falling-out. Last week, new Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said Courtois was set to return for their upcoming March fixtures.
“Courtois is a mental monster,” says Pyzdrowski. “His belief in himself is unshakeable and, for a position that relies so heavily on momentum and consistency, this has been key for him.”
So, is Courtois the best keeper in the world? And could he be the best in Madrid’s history?
“Courtois is undoubtedly among the great goalkeepers in the history of Real Madrid because of his career and his characteristics,” says Buyo. “Having a great goalkeeper allows teams to aspire to great titles. Madrid have been characterised by having a great reference point defending their goal.”
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“We are talking about a fantastic goalkeeper who, without a doubt, if he is not the best in the world, is always in the top three… He’s a phenomenon,” says Casillas.
“He’s been the best there is for five years,” adds Araquistain. “He has everything, he’s complete. He’s the best goalkeeper there is.”
Additional contributor: Conor O’Neill
