Real Madrid News
Courtois talks Benzema, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Bellingham, Valverde, Joselu, retirement
Thibaut Courtois missed Real Madrid’s first two games of the USA tour through a minor injury. He returned for the latter half of the tour, although the team, unfortunately, lost both the games he featured in.
Yet, it would be unfair to blame Courtois for the defeats to Barcelona and Juventus. The shot-stopper made a cumulative of seven saves across the two matches including two from inside the box.
The Real Madrid goalkeeper recently spoke to TLN TV (h/t Madrid Xtra) ahead of the new La Liga season where he elaborated on topics including the team’s lack of a striker and his future.
The Belgian goalkeeper first expressed his desire to hang up his boots at Real Madrid but insisted that he still had a long way to go.
“I’m so happy at Real Madrid, my wish is to retire here. I’ll take things year by year and make sure I take care of myself. Luckily goalkeepers can last a long time in football,” he said.
Courtois then admitted to Karim Benzema’s departure being a big loss for Real Madrid and pointed out means by which the team could compensate for the void.
“Benzema scored a lot of goals for us, but we have other players who have scored goals, like Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo. The whole team has to step up, players like Federico Valverde can do it. He should try and score 20 goals this season.”
Courtois elaborated on the manager’s options in the final third, backing the new signing Joselu to come good, as he said: “Joselu is a good striker for us, he can score goals.”
Real Madrid struggled towards the tail end of last season and completed it with neither the La Liga title nor the UCL trophy to show for it.
The goalkeeper spoke about the objectives for the 2023-24 campaign, saying: “We want to redeem ourselves from last season.”
On the new signings at the club and their impact on the team’s results on the field, Courtois said: “We got some exciting signings like Jude. So we hope to win many trophies.”
At 31 years of age, Courtois is now one of the veterans on the team. He spoke about his longevity in the years to come and how he viewed Luka Modric as a role model.
“I want to go year by year. Luka is still playing at almost 38, so I know it’s possible,” he said.
Real Madrid News
English legend backs Real Madrid star to become one of the all-time greats: ‘He’s got everything’
Jude Bellingham has spent the past fortnight as the most talked-about footballer in England, and the superlatives show no sign of slowing down.
A masterclass in the Nations League, a clutch of records and a second straight Player of the Year award has not gone unnoticed in English footballing media.
Now one of the English game’s most respected voices has added his name to the growing list of believers.
Lineker backs Bellingham
Asked whether Bellingham can go on to become one of the greatest players of all time, England legend Gary Lineker left no room for doubt.
“Yes, I’ve been saying it for a long time now. If he avoids serious injury or falls of the rails which he won’t I’m sure.
“He’s so good at football, he’s got everything. He’s a superstar and carries himself like a superstar,” he said (h/t Track Radio).
The verdict chimes comes in the midst of a wider chorus of acclaim in recent days. Roy Keane tipped him to become one of the greatest of all time after the Croatia rout, with Ian Wright and Micah Richards among others queuing up to praise him.
Backed by the numbers
The acclaim for Bellingham comes on the back of an extraordinary international break for Bellingham.
Against Croatia, Bellingham scored one and created three in the 7-0 win, becoming the first England player to record four goal involvements in a single game since David Platt in 1993.
He finished the window with one goal and four assists and was named UEFA’s Player of the Round.
That international excellence has carried over to the Bernabeu, where he has settled into a free number 10 role under Jose Mourinho and sits as the club’s joint-leading creator.
Bellingham was part of Real Madrid’s recent 1-0 win over Villarreal as well, and was unlucky not to register an assist when Vinicius Jr.’s goal was disallowed.
The Englishman will be looking to make an impact once again when Real Madrid take on AS Roma this Wednesday.
