Thibaut Courtois

Thibaut Courtois is a towering Belgian goalkeeper who, as of 2026, still guards the Real Madrid goal and has won league titles in Belgium, Spain and England. He began as a left back at a local club, joined Genk at seven, and was converted into a keeper there. He made his first-team debut at 16 and was the starter when Genk won the 2010–11 Belgian title. Chelsea signed him in 2011 and within weeks loaned him to Atlético Madrid, where a season-long deal was extended twice to cover three seasons. He kept a clean sheet in the 2012 Europa League final, was man of the match when Atlético beat Real Madrid in the 2013 Copa del Rey final, and won the Zamora Trophy as Atlético took La Liga in 2013–14. Back at Chelsea, José Mourinho picked him over Petr Čech for the opening league game of 2014–15, and he went on to win two Premier League titles and the 2016–17 Golden Glove. He has been called a "complete goalkeeper", and it is hard to find an obvious hole in his game. His height and reach make him strong in the air, and he comes off his line with confidence to claim crosses. Despite his size he is agile, with quick reflexes as a shot-stopper. He credited Gianluca Spinelli, his goalkeeping coach at Chelsea, with sharpening his footwork and diving so he could reach the ground faster. Add good positional sense, anticipation and clear communication with his back line, and you get a keeper who rarely looks hurried. One-on-ones are another strength, because he times his rushes off the line well and has occasionally acted as a sweeper-keeper. There have been costly moments too: in 2015–16 he was sent off twice in one Premier League season, both times for fouls that gave away penalties. With the ball he likes to set teammates away with long throws, and in March 2026 he broke the Champions League record for assists by a goalkeeper. Real Madrid paid a reported £35 million for him in 2018, making him La Liga's most expensive keeper. In 2019–20 he let in only 20 goals in 34 league games on the way to the title. His defining night was the 2022 Champions League final against Liverpool: nine saves in a 1–0 win, the most in a Champions League final since Opta began keeping records, and the player of the match award. A torn knee ligament in 2023 and a meniscus tear in 2024 wiped out most of a season, yet he came back in May and made decisive saves in that year's final against Borussia Dortmund. For Belgium he won the Golden Glove at the 2018 World Cup, making more saves than any other keeper as his country finished third, its best World Cup finish. He later became the first Belgian goalkeeper to reach 100 caps.