Real Madrid News
Thibaut Courtois unhappy with his Ballon d’Or ranking: “Not even on the podium”
Monday night was a special occasion for two Real Madrid superstars as Karim Benzema won the coveted Ballon d’Or 2022 Award while Thibaut Courtois picked up the Yashin Trophy for the Best Goalkeeper in 2022.
The duo had been critical to Real Madrid’s success last season and were deserving of the accolades that came their way.
However, at the same time, some of the Ballon d’Or rankings did come as a surprise. Considering how brilliant Courtois was, his finishing in seventh place in the final rankings was a bit strange.
And the Belgian international pointed that out while interacting with media after the ceremony. The 29-year-old, who is recovering from an injury, pointed out that his position should have been higher than where he eventually finished.
“I’m not saying I should win it, but I’m not even on the podium being the goalkeeper who has won La Liga and the Champions League,” Courtois said, as quoted by MARCA.
Courtois then acknowledged that winning the Ballon d’Or for a goalkeeper will be next to impossible.
“First of all, I am very happy for Karim Benzema. It seems that scoring a goal is better than stopping it. A battle that remains to be won. Seeing the logic and knowing how they vote, I knew that I would have no chance of winning it,” he said.
“I see it as impossible, for a goalkeeper, it is impossible to win this award. I don’t know if as a goalkeeper you can do more than what I did last year,” the Belgian added.
Courtois also provided an update on his fitness situation, stating: “I’ve had 3 or 4 training sessions and I’m improving. I hope to be on the pitch soon.”
The 29-year-old also expressed his surprise at the fact that Real Madrid were named the third-best team in Europe despite their success last season, whereas Manchester City came out on top.
“We all have a strange face with the City thing,” he said.
On Real Madrid’s recent win against arch-rivals Barcelona in El Clasico, Courtois said: “I had a good time in El Clasico, but I suffered a lot. I had more nerves than playing on the pitch”.
In what will come as a pleasing development for fans, Fabrizio Romano reports that Real Madrid forward Rodrygo could make a comeback from his injury earlier than expected.
The 25-year-old Brazilian international has been out of action since March after suffering an ACL injury during a La Liga game against Getafe.
Due to the complete rupture of the ACL, coupled with associated meniscus damage, it was suggested that the attacker was staring at a lengthy time out on the sidelines and might not return until 2027.
In fact, the forward’s father, Eric Goes, recently stated in an interview that the Real Madrid ace could be back in February next year, just before the business end of the campaign.
Rodrygo could be back in December
However, as per the update from Romano, Rodrygo’s comeback could happen well before that expected date.
Indeed, if things continue to progress at the current rate, the 25-year-old attacker might return to action in December or by January 2027 at the latest.
This will come as a welcome boost for Jose Mourinho & co., considering that Rodrygo is a valuable player for the team.
Even though he had endured a tough spell prior to his form, the Brazilian’s versatility, work rate off the ball, and eye for a goal make him an asset.
Rodrygo eager to be back at his best
The update from Romano further states that Rodrygo feels very grateful to Real Madrid for all the help and support they have given him during this difficult phase of his career.
As such, the Brazilian international has made it a mission to return to action in the best shape possible and make an impact from the get-go.
The attacker has only recently begun working on the pitch with the ball indicating the significant progress he has made on the road to recovery.
And, if there are no setbacks, Real Madrid could recover one of their ace attackers before the end of the current year.
So far in his career, Rodrygo has made 297 appearances for Real Madrid, scoring 71 goals. He has a contract with the club until 2028.
