Real Madrid: 5 MVP candidates for the 2019-2020 season
GK Thibaut Courtois
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had a rough start to the 2019-2020 season, so many fans were worried that the Belgian standout would have the same troubles he did in 2018-2019. Things got ugly after Courtois suffered an illness, necessitating his substitution at the half of a woeful performance against Club Brugge.
However, Courtois bounced back big-time after some wondered if Alphonse Areola could displace him. He went on a tear, shutting down Galatasaray in Istanbul before saving his best games for battles with Spain’s biggest clubs.
By the second half of the season, he was the best goalkeeper in the league. Getafe, Barcelona, and others were absolutely mystified by his stops.
Courtois led the league with a clean sheet in half of his performances, per FBRef.com, and he also led all goalkeepers in Spain with a mere 0.67 goals allowed per 90 minutes.
Although it is difficult to rank Marc Andre ter Stegen, Jan Oblak, and Courtois, it’s clear that Courtois is back in that tier of goalkeepers. He was once recognized as the best keeper in Europe in 2018 for Belgium and Chelsea, and after a rough 2018-2019 season, he has returned to that level of form.
There were so many games Real simply wouldn’t have won without the big Belgian’s reflexes.