Thibaut Courtois
Goalkeeper · Real Madrid · Belgium
About Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois is one of the finest goalkeepers of his generation, a 199cm keeper with the reflexes and footwork of a much smaller player. He has won two Champions League titles and three La Liga titles with Real Madrid, two Premier League titles with Chelsea and the 2018 World Cup Golden Glove with Belgium. His 2022 Champions League final display against Liverpool (ENG) is considered one of the greatest goalkeeping performances in the competition's history.
Thibaut Courtois's story
Bree's Giant
Courtois was born in Bree in Limburg province. He joined Genk's academy and developed into the finest young goalkeeper in Belgium. After a loan to Atletico Madrid, where he won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Europa League, Chelsea recalled him and made him their first-choice goalkeeper, winning two Premier League titles, the League Cup and the FA Cup.
The 2022 Champions League Final
Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Paris (FRA), May 28, 2022. Liverpool were considered heavy favourites. Courtois made 9 saves, including multiple from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané, in a 1-0 win that required sustained, extraordinary goalkeeping throughout. He was immediately acclaimed as the finest individual goalkeeper performance in a Champions League final. UEFA named him the tournament's best goalkeeper.
The Chelsea Departure
Courtois forced his way out of Chelsea in 2018, citing family reasons (his children lived in Madrid (ESP)), in a move that damaged his standing with Chelsea fans but was clearly correct professionally. He signed for Real Madrid, where he has since become one of the greatest goalkeepers in the club's history.
The Comeback
Courtois tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in training on 10 August 2023 and had surgery a week later. On 19 March 2024, just as a return neared, he tore the meniscus in his right knee. He came back on 4 May 2024 after 322 days out and was back in goal for the 2024 Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, which Real Madrid won 2-0.
Belgium: Exile, Return and Record
Courtois stepped away from the Belgian squad in 2023 amid a row over the captaincy under coach Domenico Tedesco, and stayed away until Rudi Garcia's arrival brought him back in March 2025. At the 2026 World Cup he made his 21st appearance at the tournament, passing Enzo Scifo's Belgian record, before Belgium lost 2-1 to Spain in the quarter-final on 10 July 2026.
Did you know?
- 🥅 He has won the Zamora Trophy, La Liga's award for the goalkeeper with the best goals-against ratio, three times: in 2012-13 and 2013-14 with Atletico Madrid and again in 2019-20 with Real Madrid.
- 🏅 He was named The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper in 2018, the same year as his World Cup Golden Glove, and won the Yashin Trophy at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in 2022.
- 👨👩👧👦 He married Israeli model Mishel Gerzig in June 2023. He has two children, a daughter born in May 2015 and a son born in May 2017, from an earlier relationship with Marta Domínguez.
- 🏐 He grew up in a volleyball family, and his sister Valérie is a professional libero. He began football at six as a left-back at Bilzen, and a coach who noticed his reflexes moved him into goal.
- 🎓 Hoffenheim held intensive talks to sign him around 2010-11, but the interest cooled when he faced repeating a school year. His parents had insisted on education before any move.
- 🏎️ He founded TC Racing, a Formula 4 team that made its race debut in May 2024, and later launched a sim racing team. He credits Michael Schumacher as his motor-racing hero, and at 199cm his head sits above the halo in an F4 car.
- 📈 He co-founded the sports investment group NXTPLAY with Gonzalo Vila. It bought into Le Mans, then Extremadura, and in June 2026 it took a minority stake in his first club, Genk.
- 🗣️ He has a Walloon father and a Flemish mother, and speaks French, Dutch, Spanish and English.
- 🎂 He made his senior debut for Genk on 17 April 2009 against Gent, aged 16 years and 341 days.
Honours
- UEFA Champions League x2: Real Madrid (2022, 2024)
- La Liga x4: Atlético Madrid (2014), Real Madrid (2020, 2022, 2024)
- Premier League x2: Chelsea (2015, 2017)
- Copa del Rey x2: Atlético Madrid (2013), Real Madrid (2023)
- FA Cup: Chelsea (2018)
- EFL Cup: Chelsea (2015)
- UEFA Europa League: Atlético Madrid (2012)
- Supercopa de España x2: Real Madrid (2020, 2022)
- UEFA Super Cup x3: Atlético Madrid (2012), Real Madrid (2022, 2024)
- FIFA Club World Cup: Real Madrid (2018)
- FIFA Intercontinental Cup: Real Madrid (2024)
- FIFA World Cup: Third place with Belgium (2018)
- World Cup Golden Glove: 2018, best goalkeeper of the tournament
- The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper: 2018
- Yashin Trophy: 2022, best goalkeeper of the year
- Zamora Trophy x3: 2012-13 and 2013-14 (Atlético Madrid), 2019-20 (Real Madrid)
- Premier League Golden Glove: 2016-17
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