Classy Courtois up against country which moulded his career

Thibaut Courtois, the 6 foot 7 in. pillar of strength under the Belgian bar, will need to be a stumbling block if his Red Devils are to upset the applecart of title favourites Spain in a highly-billed quarter final in Los Angeles on Friday (Saturday, 12.30 am IST). Regarded as arguably one of the best shot stoppers in the world, the 34-year-old has been there and done that, but would like to put his best foot forward against a country which helped him grow in stature.

Just to jog the memory, the Belgian goalkeeper has spent over a decade of his best years shining in Spanish club football. In 2011, he secured a move to Chelsea from boyhood club Genk and was promptly loaned to Atletico Madrid. He was back at Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2014-15 season before returning to the Spanish capital in 2018 for Real Madrid, for whom he is still first-choice goalie. What’s more, he will be the only representative for Real on the pitch tomorrow, since Spain did not name a single player from the historic club on their roster.

Speaking about a young and fresh-faced Courtois, who moved to Atletico as a raw 19-year-old, Gregorio Manzano — his first coach in the Spanish top tier — said he was impressed by the custodian from the get go.

The erstwhile Andalusian tactician, who oversaw over 400 matches in his country’s top flight, said: “We were looking for a young goalkeeper with potential and he caught our eye. He had a commanding presence and was incredibly agile, with very quick reflexes despite his height.”

In that first season with Atletico, Courtois clocked up 52 appearances — still the third-highest total of his glittering career — and accumulated more than 4,600 minutes. “When he first arrived, he needed to work on areas of his game such as aerial duels and one-on-one situations and he was a little weak with the ball at his feet. Over time, he has improved in that sense. That was the beginning of this long, successful and remarkable journey,” said Mazzano, who also spoke highly of Courtois’ personal qualities.

Courtois, in the course of his interviews, has often revealed that his excellent hand-eye coordination came from playing volleyball as a child, and their family home even had a volleyball court. “Just like my parents, I played volleyball. At seven, I joined Genk, where I began as a left-back but because I’d played volleyball, I had the reflexes to get down and dive and so, I started going in goal.”

In 2012, during his time as a loan ranger with Los Colchoneros, the Genk academy product got one over on his parent club in the UEFA Super Cup final as the imperious Iberians swatted the Londoners aside in a 4-1 success. In the following year, he captured the Copa del Rey and etched his name into Spanish football history as the youngest-ever goalkeeper to land the Zamora Trophy — awarded to the glovesman with the lowest goals —against the ratio in La Liga.

He retained his crown in 2014 as he had a big hand in helping Atletico claim their first Spanish title in nearly two decades. Buoyed by that domestic success, Atleti did battle with eternal foes Real Madrid for the UEFA Champions League crown but succumbed 4-1 after extra time.

Courtois returned to Chelsea ahead of the 2014-15 season and in 2018, after helping Belgium secure third place at the World Cup on Russian soil, he sought new pastures and joined current employers Real Madrid. Thus began a long association with Los Blancos, for whom he has chalked up 333 appearances, betting his record of 154 times apiece for Atletico and Chelsea.

Meanwhile, he has earned 114 international caps for his country and his trophy haul features a pair of UEFA Champions League titles, two Premier League crowns and four La Liga triumphs. If only this supremely talented Belgium side — once FIFA’s world No. 1 but labelled underachievers — be the new World Cup champions, it could be a real crowning glory.