Thibaut Courtois sends Real Madrid message: ‘We are very hungry’ | OneFootball

While forwards like Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior usually take most of the spotlight, one can reasonably argue that it has been the goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois who has been the most important player for Real Madrid in the last few years.

The Belgian has not only saved his team with his incredible saves during these years, but also has been one of the most vocal leaders in the Merengue dressing room. This season, as Los Blancos once again look to recover from a difficult start to the season, the Belgian’s presence is also going to be crucial for Mourinho’s team.

Currently, he is training at Real Madrid facilities as he refrained from joining his national team to continue focusing on his club. As Diario AS has reported, he appeared in an interview with Radioestadio Noche, and talked about several aspects of the club and his personal life.

The Belgian veteran was clear that Los Blancos are keen to return to winning ways this season:

“It’s not usual. A lot of trophies have been won over the last 15 years. We are very hungry to win that many trophies again. That’s what Madrid demands of you and what we see every day when we walk through the doors. Valdebebas is impressive because of how the first team and the academy are together. In London, it is more divided.”

The goalkeeper highlighted how Jose Mourinho has changed and how he remains the same from the time the two worked together at Chelsea:

“He is just as good as the one I knew at Chelsea. The ideas are different because football has evolved since then. I think he is calmer in his day-to-day life and when dealing with the media. But he still pushes hard on the pitch and in meetings, and he still says things to your face. From the outside, he is perhaps more mature, more experienced and less agitated.”

Courtois also opened up on his honest way of saying everything that needs to be said:

“Sometimes there are things that need to be kept within the club. I don’t think that when I go into a mixed zone I am going to throw a teammate or the team under the bus. In the end, I usually say it as it is. It’s my view of a match, and sometimes I’m wrong too. In 2018 against France, I went to speak to the press and got very heated, and to this day they still joke about it in France. I’m the first to admit it when I get things wrong.”

The goalkeeper explained that Real Madrid had always been his dream club:

“When I started playing as a goalkeeper, I looked up to Casillas and Real Madrid a lot. I had a huge Bernabéu flag in my room. But I also had flags of Chelsea and other teams. But Madrid has always been the dream.”

Courtois was clear that he wanted to win the Champions League with the Merengue club, but was not taking his successes for granted:

“It was the objective. But you can never take it for granted. Look at Mbappé, who came here and PSG went on to win two Champions Leagues. After that Lisbon final, I returned to Chelsea, saw Ramos celebrating on a huge billboard and said: ‘Now I have to see the celebration too.’”

Hopefully, Thibaut Courtois will be able to lead this Real Madrid team to a couple more Champions Leagues, especially as he is already 34 years old, and might not have a lot of years left to continue playing at the highest level.