Courtois’ father rues his exclusion from Fifa’s The Best XI
Thierry Courtois has come out in defence of his son, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
The Belgian has become indispensable at Madrid but isn’t appreciated in the manner in which he should be in his home lands according to his father, something reflected by his absence from Fifa’s The Best eleven.
“I don’t understand how my son is not among the nominees for the athletes of the year,” Courtois said in comments to L’Avenir.net carried by Marca.
2018: Thibaut Courtois Won Fifa #TheBest GK of The Year Award While David De Gea was Named in FifPRO World XI 2018. 🧤😲😳
2020: Manuel Neuer Won Fifa #TheBest GK of The Year Award While Alisson was Named in FifPRO World XI 2020. 🧤😳😲#FIFAFootballAwards pic.twitter.com/kXxt0m4l1A
— AZR Organization (@AzrOrganization) December 18, 2020
“I think that, in Belgium, we don’t respect the great athletes enough. We often prefer to insist that you can lose, and some even wait around the corner, although it must be said that it doesn’t happen often.”
Courtois’ father said that his son’s importance was reflected this past Tuesday, when he made a remarkable save against Athletic Club in the match’s dying minutes to save two precious points for Madrid.
“Thibaut will always be a source of pride for us,” he said. “And I can say that we are always amazed by what he does and what he shows. Something you don’t expect always comes out, like how he stopped Athletic [from scoring] in the last play.
“There are more positives than negatives,” Courtois concluded. “We are very careful with his image.”
Training 🧤📸#thibautcourtois pic.twitter.com/YNAnl0oIes
— courtois.best🇧🇪 (@BestCourtois) December 18, 2020
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Courtois’ absence from Fifa’s The Best eleven is what piqued his father’s annoyance. Liverpool’s Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson was chosen in his stead, ahead of the favourite, Bayern Munich and Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Courtois won the Zamora last season, conceding just 20 goals in 34 games for Madrid as they won La Liga. He was an instrumental part of the resolute defence that was utterly pivotal in their post-lockdown push for the title.