PARIS – Thibaut Courtois has revealed that a lack of respect for his success in England inspired him to produce a winning performance when Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 in Saturday’s Champions League final.
The 30-year-old made nine stops, most of them a goalkeeper in a European Cup final since records began in 2003, as Vinicius Junior scored the only goal to give Real a 14th record success in the competition at the Stadium. of France.
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Courtois later revealed that he was motivated by the March issue of the English magazine Four Four Two, which omitted him from a list of the 10 best goalkeepers in the world and the reaction to his pre-match press conference. in which he expressed his confidence that Real would win over Liverpool.
The Belgian international left Chelsea in Madrid in a bitter situation four years ago, without appearing in pre-season training while trying to force his transfer to Spain, a factor that he believes is clouding the judgment of his performances.
“In March there was a magazine that didn’t put me among the top 10 goalkeepers,” Courtois explained.
“I don’t know. I think that’s disrespectful. I’m not saying they have to put me at number 1, really, I don’t care. Alisson is a great goalkeeper. [Edouard] Mendy is a great goalkeeper, [Jan] Oblak, Ederson. There are really a lot of great goalkeepers, I’m not saying you have to put me at number 1.
“But after a season like this they don’t put you in the top 10, it’s weird. Secondly, yesterday I saw a lot of fun things coming out of England.
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“I guess it has to do with how I left Chelsea, but I won the Premier League twice in England. I don’t think I’ll ever be recognized for that, especially after my first year with Madrid. A lot of people laughed at me. But here I am as a winner, so it ‘s a good comeback.
“I saw a lot of tweets coming my way that today I would feel humiliated, it was the other way around.
“Today I needed to win a final of my career, for all the hard work to respect my name, as I think I don’t have enough respect, especially in England.”
In March, when asked about the list of goalkeepers, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said: “It’s nonsense. What can I say? It’s nonsense. Courtois is the best in the world for me. I’m partial, but I say Courtois he is not in the top 10 … I think you should tear your press card, be it a journalist, a coach or a statistician, if Courtois is not in the top 10 you should tear your press card. “