Thibaut Courtois
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| Thibaut Courtois | |
| |
| Full Name | Thibaut Nicolas Marc Courtois |
| Date of Birth | 11 May 1992 |
| Place of Birth | Bree, Belgium |
| Position | Goalkeeper |
| Chelsea career | 2011 – 2018 |
| Debut | 18 August 2014 |
| Games (goals) | 154 (0) |
| Other clubs | Racing Genk Atlético Madrid (loan) |
Thibaut Courtois (born 11 May 1992) is a Belgian international goalkeeper who signed for the Blues in July 2011. He initially spent three seasons on loan at Atlético Madrid, where he established a reputation as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, before making his debut for the Chelsea first team in 2014.
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Before Chelsea
Courtois joined Racing Genk at the age of 7 and progressed through the Belgian side's youth ranks before making his debut in 2009. He broke through into the first team at the start of the 2010-11 season, playing in every match as Genk won the league title, with his performances attracting interest from Chelsea.
Chelsea career
In mid-July 2011, Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas confirmed that the Blues had agreed a deal with Genk for the young goalkeeper, stating "There is an agreement between the two clubs... It is also subject to personal agreements and from then we will decide what is best for him." [1] Having signed for a fee that could rise to a reported £7.9m, Courtois joined Atlético Madrid on a season-long loan a few days later. [2]
Atlético Madrid loan
Courtois soon established himself as first choice at the Vicente Calderón, making his La Liga debut on 28 August 2011 against Osasuna – keeping a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw – before his run of games was ended with a red card in a match against city rivals Real Madrid. He soon re-established himself and continued to impress, helping Atlético to fifth place in La Liga. To crown an impressive first season in a top European league, Courtois kept yet another clean sheet in Atlético's 3-0 triumph over fellow La Liga side Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League Final on Thursday 9 May in Bucharest, two days before his 20th birthday. On 27 June 2012 Atlético Madrid confirmed that Courtois' loan had been extended for a further season.
He began the 2012-13 campaign with a victory against his parent club in the UEFA Super Cup in Monaco, before going on to a record-breaking La Liga campaign. He broke the record for most consecutive minutes without conceding a league goal at home and followed that up by doing the same for the away landmark. He finished as comfortable winner of the 'Zamora' award for the most clean sheets in the league with 20, and made two world-class saves in the Final of the Copa de Rey where Atlético beat Real Madrid 2-1 to secure their first domestic trophy in 16 years and a first Madrid derby win in 14.
In June 2013 it was confirmed that Courtois would spend a third season on loan at the Vicente Calderón. [3] Going from strength to strength, he was a key part of the club's first league title success in eighteen years and came within one minute of becoming a European Champion. Atlético couldn't quite hold on against cross-town rivals Real Madrid though, and succumbed to a 4-1 defeat after extra time.
Chelsea
Ahead of the 2014-15 season José Mourinho confirmed that Courtois would return to his parent club for the forthcoming campaign following his highly successful three year loan spell in Spain. [4] The Belgian international was in competition with the incumbent Petr Čech for the position of first choice goalkeeper, and with the latter being the most successful goalkeeper in the club's history and still only 32, it was by no means guaranteed that Čech's ten year reign as the Blues' number one would be coming to an end. Mourinho acknowledged that he faced a difficult decision in having "two of the three best goalkeepers in the world" at his disposal, but insisted that it was a "great problem" to have. [5]
Mourinho's decision went in the Belgian's favour, with Courtois selected for the opening match of the season, subsequently establishing himself as Chelsea's new first choice goalkeeper and signing a new five-year contract in September. [6]
Statistics
- Atlético Madrid (on loan from Chelsea)
| Season | Liga | Copa | Europe | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 2011-12 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 0 |
| 2012-13 | 37 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 0 |
| 2013-14 | 37 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 56 | 0 |
- Chelsea
| Season | Prem | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 2014-15 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| 2015-16 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | 36 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| Total | 126 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 154 | 0 |
Correct as of 07 July 2018
Honours
- Belgian Pro League: 2010-11
- Belgian Cup: 2008-09
- Primera División: 2014
- Copa del Rey: 2013
- UEFA Europa League: 2011-12
- UEFA Super Cup: 2012
- Chelsea
