Thibaut Courtois

Thibaut Courtois
Courtois playing for Belgium at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Thibaut Nicolas Marc Courtois[1]
Date of birth (1992-05-11) 11 May 1992[2]
Place of birth Bree, Belgium
Height 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)[3]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Real Madrid
Number 1
Youth career
1997–1999 Bilzen V.V.
1999–2009 Genk
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2011 Genk 41 (0)
2011–2018 Chelsea 126 (0)
2011–2014 → Atlético Madrid (loan) 111 (0)
2018– Real Madrid 204 (0)
International career‡
2009–2010 Belgium U18 4 (0)
2011– Belgium 105 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Belgium
FIFA World Cup
2018
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:17, 13 September 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:09, 7 September 2025 (UTC)

Thibaut Nicolas Marc Courtois (French pronunciation: [tibo kuʁtwa]; Dutch pronunciation: [ˈtiboː kurˈtʋaː]; born 11 May 1992) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Belgium national team. Regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time,[4][5][6] he is known for his reflexes, acrobatic saves, and command of the penalty area.[7][8][9]

Courtois began his career with Genk and made his senior debut in 2009, at age 16; he went on to establish himself as the club's starting goalkeeper and won the Belgian Pro League. In 2011, Courtois signed for Chelsea in a transfer worth a reported £8 million (€9 million), but then joined Atlético Madrid on loan. At Atlético, Courtois won a La Liga title, the Copa del Rey, the Europa League, and reached the UEFA Champions League final. He returned to Chelsea in 2014 and won two Premier League titles and the EFL Cup. In 2018, Courtois signed for Real Madrid in a deal worth a reported £35 million (€38.8 million), becoming La Liga's most expensive goalkeeper, and where he has gone on to win three La Liga and two UEFA Champions League titles.

Courtois made his senior international debut for Belgium in 2011 at age 19, becoming their youngest senior international goalkeeper. He has since earned over 100 caps, ranking eighth-highest for appearances, while appearing in five major tournaments. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Courtois won the Golden Glove as the best goalkeeper as he helped Belgium finish third, their highest-ever finish at the competition.

Courtois has won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy three times, the Premier League Golden Glove once, and was named the third-best goalkeeper of the decade (2011–2020) by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).

  1. ^ "Acta del Partido celebrado el 28 de agosto de 2011, en Madrid" [Minutes of the Match held on 28 August 2011, in Madrid] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021.
  2. ^ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of Players: Belgium" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Thibaut Courtois". Real Madrid CF. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Ranking the 15 greatest goalkeepers in football history". OneFootball. 24 January 2025. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  5. ^ Murray, Will (15 April 2020). "Ranking the 20 Greatest Goalkeepers in Football History". GiveMeSport. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  6. ^ Langell, Amanda (19 November 2024). "Best Soccer Goalkeepers of All Time". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  7. ^ "Ranked! The 10 best goalkeepers in the world". FourFourTwo. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  8. ^ "The 10 Best Goalkeepers In The World Right Now, Named And Ranked". SPORTbible. 1 September 2021. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Thibaut Courtois wins FIFA's 'The Best' Goalkeeper award". BeSoccer. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
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