1. At Atletico, Thibaut Courtois won a La Liga title, the Copa del Rey, the Europa League, and reached the UEFA Champions League final.
46 Facts About Thibaut Courtois
1. 2.
Thibaut Courtois returned to Chelsea in 2014 and won two Premier League titles and the EFL Cup.
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Thibaut Courtois made his senior international debut for Belgium in 2011 at age 19, becoming their youngest senior international goalkeeper.
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Thibaut Courtois has since earned over 100 caps, ranking seventh-highest for appearances, while he has appeared in five major tournaments.
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At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Thibaut Courtois won the Golden Glove as the best goalkeeper as he helped Belgium finish third, their highest-ever finish at the competition.
6.
Thibaut Courtois was born in the city of Bree in Flanders, to a Walloon father and a Flemish mother.
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Thibaut Courtois progressed through the Genk youth system, where Koen Casteels was initially regarded as the primary goalkeeper, but during an injury crisis Thibaut Courtois, aged 16 years and 341 days, made his first team debut on 17 April 2009 against Gent.
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Thibaut Courtois received the Goalkeeper of the Year and Genk's Player of the Year award, only conceding 32 goals over the course of 40 league matches and keeping 14 clean sheets for Genk.
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Thibaut Courtois became first-choice goalkeeper over Sergio Asenjo, keeping four clean sheets in his first six La Liga games.
10.
On 26 November 2011, Thibaut Courtois received his first red card of his professional career after fouling Real Madrid's Karim Benzema for a penalty in the Madrid derby.
11.
UEFA made it clear that considerations of sporting integrity made such a clause "null, void and unenforceable", and confirmed that Atletico were free to select Thibaut Courtois without making any such payment.
12.
Thibaut Courtois was nominated for the La Liga Award for the best goalkeeper in the league, alongside Willy Caballero of Malaga and Keylor Navas of Levante, which Navas eventually won.
13.
Thibaut Courtois was assigned the number 13 shirt, last worn by Victor Moses.
14.
On 11 September 2014, Thibaut Courtois signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea, keeping him at the club until 2019.
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Thibaut Courtois was treated for a minor cut to his ear and released from hospital that night.
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Thibaut Courtois became the sixth Premier League goalkeeper to be sent off twice in the same season.
17.
On 17 August 2016, Thibaut Courtois dismissed any transfer rumours and stated he would stay at Chelsea for many years to come.
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Thibaut Courtois kept a total of 16 clean sheets in the Premier League and won the Golden Glove.
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Thibaut Courtois responded by not showing up for training after the summer break, trying to force his exit from Chelsea.
20.
Thibaut Courtois was the undisputed starter during the league season, as Real Madrid won the La Liga, becoming the first player since Jose Luis Perez-Paya in 1954 to be crowned champion with both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
21.
Thibaut Courtois won the Zamora Trophy for the third time in his career, after conceding just 20 goals in 34 matches.
22.
Thibaut Courtois's 59 saves during the campaign set a new Champions League single-season record since Opta began keeping records.
23.
On 10 August 2023, Real Madrid announced that Thibaut Courtois was diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
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Thibaut Courtois was scheduled to undergo surgery in the coming days, and could be out for several months.
25.
On 19 March 2024, Thibaut Courtois got injured again during a training session, sustaining a meniscus tear in his right knee.
26.
Thibaut Courtois played every minute during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, as Belgium qualified for its first major tournament since the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
27.
On 13 May 2014, Thibaut Courtois was named in the squad to go to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
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Thibaut Courtois played every minute during Belgium's first eight games of their UEFA Euro 2016 qualification campaign, helping seal qualification for the first time in 16 years.
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Thibaut Courtois was selected to Belgium's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
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Thibaut Courtois posted two clean sheets in the group stage, allowed only one goal in Belgium's loss to eventual champion France in the semi-final, and posted another clean sheet against England in the 3rd place game.
31.
Thibaut Courtois made 27 saves in seven World Cup games, more than any other goalkeeper.
32.
Thibaut Courtois was awarded the Golden Glove as best goalkeeper of the tournament.
33.
Thibaut Courtois played in two of Belgium's qualifying matches for the UEFA Euro 2024.
34.
Thibaut Courtois suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in August 2023, ruling him out for numerous months.
35.
An underlying conflict between Belgium manager Domenico Tedesco and Thibaut Courtois wasn't resolved, after they clashed when Thibaut Courtois was not named Belgium's captain during a Euro 2024 qualifier against Austria.
36.
On 22 August 2024, Thibaut Courtois announced that he would not return to the national team for the time being, citing the conflict with Tedesco as the main reason.
37.
On 10 March 2025, Thibaut Courtois returned to the national team under new manager Rudi Garcia, following Tedesco's dismissal as manager in January.
38.
Thibaut Courtois's accepted return caused another one of Belgium's goalkeepers Koen Casteels to quit the national team in frustration.
39.
Thibaut Courtois speaks both Dutch and French, as well as Spanish and English.
40.
Thibaut's older sister Valerie Courtois is a volleyball player who plays as a libero for Stade Francais Paris Saint Cloud and Belgium.
41.
Thibaut Courtois's parents were volleyball players, and he played the sport in his childhood but decided to focus on football when he was 12.
42.
Thibaut Courtois has been in a relationship with Israeli model Mishel Gerzig since July 2021.
43.
Outside football, Thibaut Courtois has been said to maintain an interest in Formula 1, previously attending the Monaco and Spanish Grand Prix.
44.
In 2021, Thibaut Courtois participated in the 2021 F1 Virtual Grand Prix championship as an Alfa Romeo driver.
45.
In May 2023, Thibaut Courtois created his own Formula 4 team, TC Racing, with the intention of entering it into the Spanish F4 championship.
46.
Thibaut Courtois holds an administrative role within the team and hired Roberto Merhi as sporting director and driver coach.