Real Madrid: 3 reasons why Thibaut Courtois has a Ballon d’Or case

His value to Real Madrid

Goal-scorers receive a lot of praise for racking up statistics and changing games with decisive strikes. But goalkeepers should get just as much praise for keeping a team in a match by both making astounding saves and avoiding mistakes. Thibaut Courtois has made a huge stop in seemingly every match this season, keeping the team in games almost single-handedly at times with either last-gasp saves or first-half stops that give Real Madrid a chance to come back.

Karim Benzema will be one of the Ballon d’Or frontrunners this year after being a finalist in 2021. With 34 goals and 12 assists this season for the Merengues, there’s no doubting Karim’s value and his ability to change matches with a goal or an assist.

But Courtois deserves just as much credit and has been arguably as valuable to Real Madrid as the No. 9. Benzema may have the edge because he can impact the game in more ways, but Courtois isn’t far behind at all. And since Courtois isn’t far behind and Karim is a Ballon d’Or frontrunner, then surely that means the Real Madrid goalkeeper is a candidate.

Courtois should not be overlooked because he is a goalkeeper. His quality, leadership, and overall importance to the team place him right there with the best of them. A player’s value to their team is one of the most important qualifiers to be a Ballon d’Or winner, and Courtois absolutely has that locked down. Just ask any Real Madrid fan what he means to this team.