Real Madrid: Ranking the 5 best players of the 2021/22 season
By Eesh Jhamb
3. GK Thibaut Courtois
The Belgium wall deserves to be in the top 3 for what he has done the year. Thibaut Courtois never had a bad game, often made many crucial saves, and as David Alaba said:
In all competitions, Thibaut Courtois has won 2 Man of the Match awards and conceded 44 goals for Real Madrid. He managed to keep a clean sheet in 22 out of 52 games, including the very crucial match of the season- the UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool.
He pulled off some brilliant saves in that game. The diving saves to deny Mo Salah’s curveball or Sadio Mane in the one-on-one situation. Thibaut Courtois made some similar saves and was thus awarded the Man of the Match award.
Even after being one of the best goalkeepers, the Belgian has never received the recognition he deserves and is often the silent hero in various games. He often steps up when needed the most. If you remember the first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, Thibaut Courtois was the reason Real Madrid only conceded one goal. He pulled off a lot of great saves including saving Lionel Messi’s penalty.
Last season too, Courtois was many times the reason why Real Madrid managed to reach the semi-final in the UCL and gave a nail-biting fight to Atletico Madrid in LaLiga. I hope he finally gets the recognition he deserves from the world.