Thibaut Courtois is ‘the BEST goalkeeper in the world’ as Real Madrid star reaches ‘milestone’ in Juventus win

Gianluigi Donnarumma may have won the 2025 Men’s Kopa Trophy and Alisson is among the best in the Premier League, but, according to journalist Guillem Balague, it is Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois who is the best goalkeeper in the world and has been so for a number of years.

Balague, one of the most prominent Spanish football experts around, made the big claim about Courtois after Real Madrid’s narrow 1-0 win against Juventus at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.

Real Madrid eked out a narrow win in the League Stage match, with England international midfielder Jude Bellingham scoring the only goal of the contest in the 57th minute.

Bellingham found the back of the net when he stabbed home a rebound after Vinicius Junior had seen his effort come back off the post.

Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, Arda Guler and Bellingham all featured in the match against Juventus, but the star for the Spanish giants was Courtois.

The 33-year-old Belgium international goalkeeper made important saves that were key to Madrid winning the match.

A reliable figure between the posts for Madrid since 2018 when he joined from Chelsea, Courtois stopped Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic from scoring with his thigh when the score was still 0-0.

Courtois also denied Weston McKennie, Federico Gatti and Andrea Cambiaso, as he kept his 119th clean sheet for Madrid.

Balague noted on X at 9:15pm on October 22: “It doesn’t matter if you are not watching #RealMadridJuve. I will tell you what’s happening

“0-0 so far and confirmation again that @thibautcourtois is (and has been for years) the BEST goalkeeper in the world.”

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Thibaut Courtois reaches Real Madrid ‘milestone’

Fans of other clubs, especially Liverpool and Manchester City, will disagree with Balague’s claim that Courtois is the best goalkeeper on the planet.

Liverpool fans will point to Alisson’s consistently top-level performances when he is fit and available.

Man City supporters will note how Donnarumma played a key role for Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League success last season, and his impressive performances between the sticks for Pep Guardiola’s side so far this campaign.

Courtois, though, has to be in the conversation among the best goalkeepers in the world.

The Belgian has won LaLiga three times and the Champions League twice with Madrid so far in his career.

The match against Juventus was Courtois’s 300^th for Madrid, and he was happy to have reached the ‘milestone’

Courtois told Real Madrid’s official website after the match: “I’m delighted with the win.

“I’m really happy, it’s nice to mark my 300th Real Madrid appearance with a 1-0 win, a decent performance and some good saves.

“I think my best stop today was the one-on-one with Vlahovic. It was really good from a technical point of view.”

“It was a really hard-fought game with chances at both ends. We really had to sweat to win it.

“It’s a big win, especially against another great side.

“That’s 9 from 9 now. Next up, we head to Anfield, so we’ll see what happens. We’ve started well and we just have to keep working hard.”

When asked about his save against Vlahovic, the goalkeeper said: “The coach wants me to play high up, but when the ball comes in like that, I’m not the quickest.

“It looked like Militão was going to get there, but Vlahović is a great forward and I’m there to help out. I’m happy with the stop.”

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Latest Real Madrid transfer news: Liverpool raid, Endrick in demand

Elsewhere, Real Madrid are said to be ready to raid Liverpool in the January transfer window for a midfielder.

Sources have told TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, the names of the clubs that are after Real Madrid striker Endrick.

Manchester United have also been linked with Endrick, but TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Dean Jones, has reported the Red Devils’ chances of a loan deal for the Brazil international striker.

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