Soccer
Thibaut Courtois has stressed his desire to see out his professional career at Real Madrid amid rumours of a return to his homeland, Belgium.
Courtois joined Madrid in 2018 from Chelsea and has gone on to become a key part of Los Blancos’ success, particularly under both Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti.
The 34-year-old, who also spent three years at rivals Atletico Madrid, has made 333 appearances for the club across all competitions, picking up several trophies along the way.
He has lifted 12 major honours, including three LaLiga titles and two Champions League titles, while also winning the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana twice.
Courtois has kept 96 clean sheets in all competitions since his Madrid debut, a tally only Alisson (103), Ederson (106), Mike Maignan (108) and Jan Oblak (117) can better among goalkeepers across Europe’s top five leagues.
Andriy Lunin and Fran Gonzalez are Madrid’s other goalkeeping options, though Courtois revealed that he has no intentions of leaving the Spanish capital any time soon.
“I don’t think about playing in Belgium again. For me, the Pro League is a closed chapter,” Courtois said.
“Genk also have a lot of good young goalkeepers. My goal is to finish my career at Real Madrid.”
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@ThibautCourtois pic.twitter.com/5obM2zeLlX— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) June 15, 2026
Only Barcelona’s Joan Garcia (15) kept more shutouts in LaLiga in 2025-26 than Courtois’ 13 as Madrid finished the campaign in second behind their Clasico rivals.
But after another trophyless campaign, Jose Mourinho, who managed Madrid from 2010 to 2013, has returned to try and help them challenge for silverware next season.
Madrid have already bolstered their squad with the arrivals of Premier League trio Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva and Ibrahima Konate, the latter two being free transfers.
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