Thibaut Nicolas Marc Courtois (born 11 May 1992) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Belgium national team. He is considered one of the best goalkeepers in world football.
Courtois progressed through the youth system of Genk, and at age 18, he played a key role in the team's Belgian Pro League victory. In July 2011, he joined Chelsea for a reported £8 million, and was immediately loaned to Atlético Madrid. In three seasons there, he won the Europa League in 2012, the Copa del Rey in 2013, and the La Liga title in 2014. He also won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy as the best goalkeeper in La Liga for his performances in his two latter seasons. Courtois returned to Chelsea in July 2014, and in his first season he helped them win the League Cup and the Premier League title. Two years later, he won the Premier League Golden Glove as Chelsea again won the league. In 2018, Real Madrid signed Courtois for £35 million, becoming La Liga's most expensive goalkeeper, surpassing the record set by Jan Oblak. He won a second La Liga title and a third Zamora trophy in 2020. In 2022, he won a third La Liga title and first UEFA Champions League title.
Courtois made his senior international debut in October 2011, becoming the youngest goalkeeper to represent Belgium. He has since earned over ninety caps and appeared at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2016, the 2018 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2020; he was awarded the Golden Glove in 2018 as the best goalkeeper of the tournament, with Belgium finishing third.
Considered a highly promising prospect in his youth, Courtois subsequently established himself as one of the best players in the world in his position. Due to his wide range of skills, he has been described as a "complete goalkeeper", with few weaknesses. A consistent keeper, he possesses an excellent positional sense, good mentality, composure, strength of character, and an ability to communicate well with his defenders; he also excels in one on one situations, due to his ability to time his runs effectively when rushing out of goal to face opponents, and has even functioned as a sweeper-keeper on occasion. An excellent shot-stopper between the posts, he has also distinguished himself for his agility and quick reflexes, in spite of his size and imposing physique. During the 2016–17 season, he credited his goalkeeping coach with Chelsea under manager Antonio Conte, Gianluca Spinelli, for helping him to improve his overall game and goalkeeping technique, in particular his foot-work and diving, which enabled him to be more explosive and get to ground more quickly. Due to his height and reach, he excels in the air, and is also known for his command of his area, as well as his excellent technique, anticipation, handling, and confidence when coming off his line to claim crosses. Moreover, he is known for his ability to distribute the ball to his teammates with long throws.<\/P>","56D1193A280251FE":"Thibaut Nicolas Marc Courtois","43E2EE6075CF14CE3F1421B506383C07":"Belgium","CDD05FD46E6F78B9FEABD05EFFA7F762":"
CLUB
<\/STRONG><\/U>Genk<\/STRONG>
Belgian Pro League: 2010–11
Atletico Madrid
<\/STRONG>La Liga: 2013–14
Copa del Rey: 2012–13
UEFA Europa League: 2011–12
UEFA Super Cup: 2012
UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2013–14
Chelsea<\/STRONG>
Premier League: 2014–15, 2016–17
FA Cup: 2017–18
Football League Cup: 2014–15
Real Madrid<\/STRONG>
La Liga: 2019–20, 2021–22
Supercopa de España: 2019–20, 2021–22
FIFA Club World Cup: 2018
UEFA Champions League: 2021–22
UEFA Super Cup: 2022
INTERNATIONAL
<\/U><\/STRONG>Belgium<\/STRONG>
FIFA World Cup third place: 2018
INDIVIDUAL
<\/U><\/STRONG>Belgian Professional Goalkeeper of the Year:<\/STRONG>
2011
Belgian Bronze Shoe:<\/STRONG>
2011
La Liga Zamora Trophy:
<\/STRONG>2012-13, 2013-14, 2019-20
La Liga Goalkeeper of the Year:<\/STRONG>
2012-13
La Liga Player of the Month:<\/STRONG>
January 2020, February 2022
Best Belgian Player Abroad:<\/STRONG>
2013, 2014
ESM Team of the Year:<\/STRONG>
2013–14, 2021–22
UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season:
<\/STRONG>2013–14, 2020–21
UEFA Champions League Team of the Season:<\/STRONG>
2021–22
FIFPro World XI 2nd team:<\/STRONG>
2014, 2018
London Football Awards Goalkeeper of the Year:<\/STRONG>
2015
Belgian Sportsman of the year:<\/STRONG>
2014
Premier League Golden Glove:
<\/STRONG>2016–17
FIFA World Cup Golden Glove:
<\/STRONG>2018
FIFA World Cup Dream Team:
<\/STRONG>2018
The Best FIFA Goalkeeper:<\/STRONG>
2018
FIFA World Cup Fantasy McDonald’s Overall XI:<\/STRONG>
2018
UEFA La Liga Team of the Season:<\/STRONG>
2019–20
IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper of the Decade (2011–2020):<\/STRONG>
3rd place
La Liga Team of the Season:<\/STRONG>
2021–22
Yashin Trophy:
<\/STRONG>2022<\/P>","519F480A5D95AABEE231AFCBBAB20A94":"\uffe131.5M","165A9E64AAEECF036C1B6B6A72794204F7BF560594F29F16":"1","D91FA56861637784":"Real Madrid","584B722087373EED7A432DDE0763CE35":"3","A3B3C821F4815DD2":"85260","9B962DAE9CDB1287":"96kg","D91AFD3F8E13D94664CE2C04A1143112":"Chelsea FC,Atletico Madrid[on loan],KRC Genk,Genk(U19),Genk Youth","F849A024F3C8AF1B2C4A709B4C92BB0F":"2018-8-9","37FE64B882E92ECB":"Thibaut Nicolas Marc Courtois","05B90AE4F21571952008D48326AE77E3":"1","229187823D238BA5":"345","F14A25307A7B90F34DF7D46459F247E0":"1992-5-11","e_index":3};