Thibaut Courtois looks like an absolute bargain for Real Madrid now

Thibaut Courtois didn’t have a lot of work to do in his last two outings vs Inter Milan and Real Sociedad, thanks to the great improvement in Real Madrid’s defensive structure, and in Militao’s performances. It comes as a huge relief to the Belgian, and he deserves such stress-free games and clean sheets because has always performed two times more than his actual duties. He steps up to be Real Madrid’s hero week in week out, but even superheroes deserve a day without headaches.

Not a single goalkeeper of a top club in Europe has been exposed to the kind of constant threat from the opponent’s attack, as Courtois faces week in week out. Given the names in the Real Madrid lineup, we expect better defending from the team, but the goalkeeper has always been exposed to constant shots from the opponents, due to the team’s attacking mindset which leaves spaces at the back. He has to pull off at least three wonderful saves to deny the opposition. sometimes from the closest of the ranges and from situations created by concentration lapses from his own teammates.

Courtois earns 7.2 million euros per year, but looking at his importance to this team, I think he deserves a lot more. Though the experts who voted for the Yashin award think he is the 8th best goalkeeper in Europe, I believe he is definitely among the top three keepers in Europe, if not the number one. To have a keeper play at such an unbelievable level with impeccable consistency is indeed a blessing for any club.

This makes me wonder how Real Madrid managed to secure the services of such a world-class keeper in his prime for just 35 million euros. After the signing of Toni Kroos in 2014, this might be Real Madrid’s best transfer bargain in the transfer market. 35 million for a goalkeeper might be seen as a high transfer fee by some people, but when you compare his situation to the other transfers in the 2018 summer transfer window, you would definitely agree that Courtois’ transfer was a bargain.

There were some high-profile GK transfers in 2018

When Courtois left Chelsea for Real Madrid, the London-based club was desperate to sign a world-class replacement, with a race against time. They found one in Kepa Arizzabalaga of Athletic Bilbao, but he had an 80 million euro release clause in his new contract which was signed just six months before that. Bilbao took advantage of Chelsea’s desperation and the cash-rich blues gave in to Bilbao’s demands.

The 2018 summer saw another huge goalkeeper transfer, with Alisson moving to Liverpool from Roma, in a 72.5 million euro deal. Real Madrid were actually interested in signing the Brazilian, but they backed off after looking at his price tag. But they did get another top-class goalkeeper, for a much lower fee.

When you compare the transfer fee and the outcome of all three transfers, Courtois is the clear winner and the best bargain. After the end of the 2018/19 season, one might have said the club should have gone for Alison because Courtois had a bad start to his career at the Spanish capital. But now, I don’t think anyone would say the same thing they said in 2019, because Courtois has just turned everything around. He is a Zamora winner in a league with two of the best goalkeepers in the world competing for the trophy.

One should also consider the fact that it was Courtois’ last year on his Chelsea contract, which might have influenced the fee. But there was a lot of competition for the Belgian back then, and getting him for a cheaper fee was indeed a great deal. We should also appreciate Courtois’ willingness to have Real Madrid as his only option, despite being a player with a history of playing for their rivals. He knew where he could find success and happiness and took a decision that made him win the respect of a lot of Madridistas.

I took these specific examples from the 2018 window because it gives you an idea of the transfer market at that point in time. If you compare his signing to the inflated condition of the current transfer market where clubs don’t hesitate to ask for a three-figure transfer fee for a goalkeeper, it might make it further obvious that Thibaut Courtois was a steal.

His contract has been renewed until 2026 recently, and Madridistas can continue to worry less about their defensive mistakes on the pitch because they have a six-foot six-inch keeper at the back who will keep standing tall and continue thwarting the danger for many more years to come.