The Real Madrid goalkeeper presented his documentary series ‘The return of number 1’
MADRID, 19 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said on Thursday that he wants to “think that” he is “at the same level as before” and that he can still give “his best”, also pointing out that the “most difficult” save he remembers with the white team was the one he made against Sadio Mané in the 2022 Paris final against Liverpool.
“I want to think that I’m at the same level as before and I can still give my best. I feel the same as I did in the year of the comebacks,” said the Belgian goalkeeper at the presentation of his documentary series ‘The Return of the Number 1’. Courtois, surrounded by his family and the Real Madrid squad, acted as host in the presidential box of the Santiago Bernabéu at the launch of the Amazon series.
The Real Madrid goalkeeper himself explained that when he was injured he changed the idea of this project to focus on his career and his recovery. Thus, the film reviews his return to the pitch after the serious knee injury he suffered in August 2023, and tells his story of how he became one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
“When I got injured we changed the idea of the documentary, with my career, how I recovered. I am very grateful for everyone’s work and I am showing that, as I said, I was going to come back stronger,” he said. Courtois also acknowledged that the comparison with Iker Casillas “fills him with pride” but reiterated that he is only doing his “job” and trying to “do it in the best way possible.”
“It’s a compliment that people think like that, but it’s not something I think. I dreamed of being at Real Madrid, and now that people are talking about it is a source of pride,” he stressed. The goalkeeper said that he has gained “a lot of muscle mass in his legs” after the injury, and that he has “lost fat.” “I have more power to clear, to look for balls on the ground. We work a lot on footwork with Llopis (goalkeeping coach),” he said.
For Courtois, his “most difficult save” so far was the one he made against Sadio Mané in the 2022 Champions League final in Paris against Liverpool. “It was a very difficult save, I thought he wasn’t going to make it and I put my hand out and it hit the post,” recalled the Belgian, who is clear that 2022 will be his “best year” for his saves and for “the importance of winning the League and the Champions League.”
After a knee injury last season, the Real Madrid player suffered another physical setback that kept him off the pitch for longer, but he was able to return to play a leading role in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund, which he managed to win with Real Madrid.
“When I got injured, you train and think you can make it to March or April, you get injured again, I thought I would play one or two games. I quickly felt fine, I felt like before and I had faith that I would play in the Champions League final,” he told the media.
Asked about the possibility of a strike by the players due to the accumulation of matches during the seasons and the fact that this would lead to less money being paid, he said that “one thing has nothing to do with the other” and that “there is enough income to pay the salaries.”
The Madrid goalkeeper also recalled the case of the NBA, where “they play a lot of games, but then they have many months off”, and he referred to examples such as his teammate Dani Carvajal, who has only had three weeks off. For the Belgian, “there is no time to recover physically”, and he is clear that “it is a very difficult line to walk because things like the Club World Cup are added to it”.