When national team breaks arrive, the locker rooms of the most important clubs tend to empty because the majority of their players respond to the call of their national teams. It is the case of real Madrid and Valdebebaswho in recent days has been experiencing a break of this style in typical tranquility, although one of those who stayed on this occasion has been Thibaut Courtois.
The goalkeeper is one of the most important players on the white team, but he reached an agreement with the Belgian coach, Mark Van Bommelso as not to leave with his team during this break for the first matches of the UEFA Nations League.
Courtois faces his ninth season at Real Madrid having become one of the heavyweights of the locker room and he attends and stands in front of the microphone this Wednesday Night Radio Stadium to analyze the complicated start to the season for the white team, which is fourth in LaLiga after having suffered two defeats against Betis and Atlético de Madrid.
“I think we are playing well, it is true that Against teams that close themselves in it is sometimes difficult for us to generate more danger, but when they are more open games we generate a lot and sometimes we have not known how to score more goals to facilitate some games. The Betis game was a game that we should have won and “Atlético’s game is a game that we lose more because of the red card and the penalty than because of anything else.”assures Courtois.
“I think that both the VAR and the referee They didn’t have the best day. It’s not easy to see everything on the field, but there is an image in which I see that the referee is right behind him and sees that his leg is going high and Fede tells him that he hit him very hard. There, for me, maybe he must think that he hasn’t seen something,” explains the goalkeeper about the most controversial action of the derby between Fede Valverde and Kang In Lee that the CTA itself later recognized as a mistake.
And there are many complaints that Real Madrid has made against refereeing in recent years, although Courtois talks about conspiracies in which part of Real Madrid fans do believe.
“I don’t think there is a black hand, I’m not that bad-thinking, but I do think that sometimes you see things in other fields that don’t bother us”explains the goalkeeper who, in addition, gives several examples of controversial plays that, in his opinion, harmed Real Madrid in the 20/21 season in which LaLiga ended up winning the Athletic. “I understand that it is difficult, but sometimes you see things that you don’t understand. They explain things to us and then they do something else a week later,” he says.
His reunion with Mourinho
The Belgian goalkeeper, who already met Mourinho in his second stage in the Chelseatalks about the Portuguese coach’s return to Real Madrid and how these first weeks of the season are going.
“As a coach He is just as good as the one I met at Chelseaperhaps with different ideas because twelve years have passed and football has evolved and so has he as a coach. Maybe he is a little calmer in his day-to-day life, but he continues to push hard in the field, saying things to your face as he has always done…”, he explains on Radioestadio Noche.
And Courtois already had a private meeting with Mourinho in the 13/14 season, when he was the goalkeeper of the Athletic on loan from Chelsea. Both teams met in the Champions League semi-finals and the English team tried to stop them from playing in that tie, although UEFA finally agreed with the red and whites. Months later, he returned to London with Mourinho on the bench.
“We spoke in preseason and he told me that if I trained and played well I would play (…) My dream was to play and win the Premier there and I won it twice. Petr Cech helped me a lot”remembers the Belgian about that first stage with Mourinho.
The Ballon d’Or
In the coming weeks the Ballon d’Or and one of his teammates at Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappéis one of the main favorites to win it. Courtois highlights his season and his numbers despite not having managed to win any title.
“I think the Ballon d’Or has to go to the best player during the year and not to the one who has won the most trophies. Because of that rule of three, perhaps Carvajal should have won it two years ago, who had a spectacular year (…) For me it’s Mbappé because if you see him play on the field what he does is amazing with his speed, it’s impressive, also his goals…”explains the Belgian about his partner.
