Thibaut Courtois is an acclaimed Belgian soccer player. He currently plays as a goalkeeper for Real Madrid and for the Belgium national team. Like Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, or Kevin de Bruyne, he is part of the “golden generation” of Belgian soccer. So, it has brought great joy to one of the sports of interest for bettors.
From the top of his 1m 99, Courtois enjoys an incredible size, though his nickname “The Octopus” is more related to the way he uses his long arms. But his physique is not his only quality. Courtois is very good in the air, but especially on his line. The goalkeeper has reflexes worthy of the greatest. His exits in the feet are always full of authority and clean. The only flaw is his footwork, which is clearly below average. The international Belgian continues to collect individual titles. After winning the title of the best player of the Champions League final and the Yashin trophy, the IFFHS named him goalkeeper of the year 2022. Let’s discover together this “wall”.
From the shadows to the light
Thibaut Courtois was born on May 11, 1992. Both his parents play volleyball. And, he has an older sister who is a relatively famous volleyballer: Valérie Courtois. Thibaut, however, has always preferred football since his childhood. He discovered the position of goalkeeper during a tournament played with the under-nine team. But he became an outfielder until the age of twelve. He was then encouraged by the goalkeeper coaches who had spotted his talent.
At the age of 16, he played his first professional match. During the 2010-2011 season of the Belgian championship, he became a starter for the GENK GRC following the injuries. Also, the suspensions suffered by the other goalkeepers. And then it was a revelation! Genk became Belgian champions. And, Thibaut Courtois was one of the major actors of the title. He was awarded the title of goalkeeper of the year. Also, the title of player of the year in his team with statistics of 32 goals conceded in 40 league games. Furthermore, 14 games without conceding a goal. This was the beginning of a success story for the Belgians.
He joined the Belgian national team in October 2011. And, he participated in all the world cups and the most outstanding of his career is the one in 2018. He inherited the captain’s armband. He brought the Red Devils to the 3rd place in the world. Moreover, Courtois distinguishes himself by his saves during the quarter-final against Brazil and the semi-final against France. Against England for the “small final” the Red Devils finally got third place in the World Cup. It has been their best position in this competition surpassing the record of 4th place in 1986. Thibaut Courtois was awarded the title of “best goalkeeper of the world” following his outstanding performance. His skills have begun to be taken into account in professional betting tips. Especially by those professional bettors who enjoy betting high stakes.
International Career
After an excellent start with Genk, Thibaut Courtois flew to Chelsea in July 2011. They loaned him to Atletico Madrid for a year. They win the Europa League after starting 14 games in the competition. He conceded only 9 goals. He participated in the victory of Los Colchoneros against Athletic Bilbao in the final with a score of 3 goals to 0. His loan has been renewed twice with Atletico de Madrid. So, the victories followed. They won the 2012-2013 season of the European Super Cup. He won in May 2013 the King’s Cup, in May 2014, the Spanish championship, and reached the final of the Champions League. For Courtois, the performances are impressive: twice in a row, he wins the Zamora Trophy as the best goalkeeper in the Spanish league. (24 goals conceded in 37 games, an average of 0.66 per game).
From 2014 to 2018 he returned to Chelsea. He won the title of English champions twice in the 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 seasons with them. With his sixteen games without conceding a goal in his last season with the club, Courtois received the Award for the best goalkeeper in the league. He succeeded his former understudy Petr Čech. He finished a not-so-successful season of 2017-2018 before joining Real Madrid. Though, the transfer that cost the Spanish club 35 million euros. This hoists the player to the title of the fifth most expensive goalkeeper in history.
The wall of Real Madrid
Thibaut Courtois then landed in a club that already had a great goalkeeper, Keylor Navas. He is a three-time European champion with the Merengues and an indisputable starter. During the 2018/2019 season, the two goalkeepers had to share the throne of number 1. And, the situation seemed to be in favor of the Costa Rican keeper. Indeed, the Belgian had a difficult start with El Madrid and was strongly criticized by the Spanish press who preferred Navas. Despite this, Real Madrid decided to sell Keylor Navas. So they decided to continue to bet on the Belgian keeper, and even in the sports betting industry, many experts were skeptical about such a decision.
As a liberated man, “The Octopus” excelled on the field and in the Madrid dressing room. Thibaut Courtois was simply outstanding in the 2019/2020 La Liga season, winning the Zamora Trophy. He has become indispensable to La Casa Blanca, changing the perception of the Spanish press. Despite a challenging 2021 season due to injuries, Courtois saved his defense in many games. He made crucial saves against Barcelona and Liverpool in the Champions League. He acted as a giant with four splendid saves, securing his fourth clean sheet in the C1 edition.
Thibaut Courtois was elected “best goalkeeper in the world” at the end of the Ballon d’Or 2022 ceremony. This title rewarded an exceptional 2021-2022 season. Moreover, the winner of the La Liga and Champions League, Courtois was elected man of the match in the UCL final and also kept his nets untouched 22 times out of 52 games. To this day, Courtois can be considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world. A title that makes a difference in the odds offered by the top bookmakers offered via agent, when this presence is confirmed in a match.
