Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois looked furious after finishing seventh in the latest Ballon d’Or standings.
Since he arrived at Real Madrid from Chelsea, Thibaut Courtois has been Los Blancos’ undisputed number one.
However, in the last season, Courtois played the best football of his career. His extraordinary season under the bar was one of the main reasons Real Madrid won the La Liga and UEFA Champions League double.
He conceded just 29 goals in 36 appearances in the Spanish League. The Belgian goalkeeper then received the man of the match award in the UEFA Champions League final for making a record nine saves.
The Real Madrid goalkeeper is not happy with his ranking
Despite all these feats, Belgian international Thibaut Courtois didn’t even make it onto the Ballon d’Or podium.
The goalkeeper finished in seventh position, behind Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane, Kevin De Bruybne, Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappe and Mohamed Salah.
Furious at his classification, Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois told RTVE: “I see the Ballon d’Or as something impossible to win. You win the League and you win the Champions League, your team wins thanks to your saves… and you only finish 7th. At least they created the trophy for the best goalkeeper.”
However, Courtois admitted that his teammate Karim Benzema really deserved to win the 2022 Ballon d’Or.
Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas was not happy that Courtois did not finish on the Ballon d’Or podium.
However, Thibaut Courtois won the Lev Yashin trophy for being the best goalkeeper in the world. Interestingly, Lev Yashin remains the only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d’Or award so far.
In recent years only Manuel Neuer came close to winning the trophy. The German finished third in 2014 behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Ballon d’Or has been the subject of criticism in the recent past. the organizers have been accused many times of being biased towards more marketable or branded players.
Whats Next?
Thibaut Courtois is currently suffering from an injury that has sidelined him for a few weeks. the Belgian is approaching full form from him and will soon be back in the Real Madrid line-up.
Meanwhile, defending La Liga and UEFA Champions League champions Real Madrid have started their season very well. They are currently in the first position of La Liga and also about to qualify for the next stage of the UCL.
Real Madrid will face Elche in their next game.
