Thibaut Courtois Childhood Story (What you didn’t know)

Thibaut Courtois’ childhood story

Thibaut Nicolas Marc Courtois was born on May 11, 1992, in the city of Bree, Belgium. He is the son of Gitte Courtois, a Flemish woman, and Thierry Courtois, a Walloon.

Despite his fame in football, Thibaut seemed destined for volleyball due to his family’s sporting background. As a child, he was a clumsy and often absent-minded boy.

He shared a funny episode from gym class, where, by concentrating too much on an exercise, he ended up knocking over the teacher. “I was never a hero in gymnastics,” he joked.

Thibaut’s childhood was full of minor accidents. His mother, a physiotherapist, had to accompany him to the hospital several times. Among the incidents were fractures, cuts and other injuries, showing a childhood full of energy.

Born in Maas Hospital in Kempen, he was raised by parents who played semi-professional volleyball. Thibaut tried out a variety of sports from an early age, but at the age of five, he decided that he wanted to focus on football.

Thibaut Courtois’ first steps in football

In Belgium, children are only allowed to officially join football clubs after the age of six. However, thanks to Thibaut’s persistence, local club Bilzen VV made an exception and allowed him to join early.

Starting out as a left-back, he quickly demonstrated his strength and skill, despite being younger than his teammates. According to his first coach, Bart Theunissen, he already showed incredible reflexes.

The story of Thibaut Courtois in Genk

After coming through the youth ranks at Genk, Courtois made his first professional appearance at the age of sixteen years and 341 days on 17 April 2009 against Gent. Courtois was instrumental in Genk’s 2010–11 Belgian league title win. He was awarded the Goalkeeper of the Year award and Genk’s Player of the Year award, having conceded 32 goals in 40 Jupiler Pro League matches .

Thibaut Courtois’s story at Chelsea

On 16 July 2011, he was signed by Chelsea and signed a five-year contract.

The story of Thibaut Courtois at Atlético de Madrid

Within weeks of joining Chelsea, Courtois was loaned to Atlético Madrid on a season-long loan . Courtois was given the number 13 shirt at Atlético, which had previously been worn by David de Gea prior to his transfer to Manchester United in June 2011.

2011–12 season

Courtois made his debut for Atlético in a UEFA Europa League match against Vitória de Guimarães . In La Liga , he made his debut in a 0–0 draw with Osasuna . Courtois quickly became the team’s first-choice goalkeeper, replacing Sergio Asenjo and keeping four clean sheets in his first six La Liga appearances. On 26 November 2011, the Belgian received his first red card as a professional after fouling Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema , causing Atlético to lose the Madrid Derby 4–1. However, Los Colchoneros reached the UEFA Europa League final , and Courtois kept a clean sheet in a 3–0 win over Athletic Bilbao .

2012–13 season

On 27 June 2012, Courtois’ loan with Atlético Madrid was extended for another year. His first match after the extension was against Chelsea, the club who owned his rights. The two teams met in a 2012 UEFA Super Cup match in Monaco , which the Spanish side won 4–1, with a hat-trick from Colombian striker Radamel Falcao . [ 6 ] Later in the season, Courtois set a new record for Atlético Madrid, going 820 minutes without conceding a goal at the Vicente Calderón , which ended in a 1–0 defeat to Real Sociedad .

Atlético reached the 2013 Copa del Rey final , and Courtois was named man of the match in a 2–1 victory over rivals Real Madrid, the first time Atlético had beaten Real in fourteen years.

2013–14 season

For the 2013–14 season, Courtois’ loan to Atlético Madrid was extended for a further twelve months.

In April 2014, when Atlético Madrid faced Chelsea in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League , Courtois was unable to play due to a clause in his loan contract that prevented the goalkeeper from playing against the team that owned his rights (if Atlético wanted to use the player, they would have to pay the English club €3 million per game), but the Madrid team could not afford to pay that amount. Despite the clause, UEFA made it clear that the clause was “null and void”, and confirmed that Atlético were free to select Courtois without making any payment.

After conceding few goals during the 2013–14 season, Courtois made an important contribution to the La Liga title , the first won by the Colchoneros since 1996. He was thus named as the championship’s best goalkeeper, alongside Málaga ‘s Willy Caballero and Levante ‘s Keylor Navas .

Return to Chelsea

He returned to the Blues in July 2014 and was given the number 13 shirt, previously worn by Victor Moses last season. The goalkeeper made his debut for the team on 18 August, in a 3–1 win against Burnley , in a match valid for the Premier League .

On 11 September, Courtois renewed his contract with Chelsea and signed a new five-year contract, valid until 30 June 2019.

Thibaut Courtois’s story at Real Madrid

On 8 August 2018, Real Madrid confirmed the signing of Thibaut Courtois on a six-year contract. He made his debut for the club on 1 September, in a 4–1 win over Leganés . The player’s first season at the club did not go as expected, as the Belgian was then the best goalkeeper in the world. In his second season with the club, Courtois won La Liga (Spanish Championship).

On 14 August 2021, the goalkeeper played his 100th La Liga game for Real Madrid, when the Merengues faced Alavés at the Mendizorroza Stadium .

Thibaut Courtois reached his 100th win for Real Madrid on 6 February 2022, against Granada at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium , in a match valid for the 23rd round of La Liga . The player reached this feat after playing 161 games, having won a Club World Cup, a La Liga and two Spanish Super Cups, in addition to having received the Zamora Trophy in the 2019–20 season.

On 28 May 2022, in the UEFA Champions League final , Courtois delivered arguably the finest performance of his career. In a 1–0 win over Liverpool , the Belgian goalkeeper made incredible saves to prevent the Madrid team from leaving without a win. Courtois was crowned champion of the world’s biggest club tournament for the first time, and due to his sensational performance, he was voted Man of the Match. After the match, it was considered possible that Courtois’ performance was the best by a goalkeeper in the history of the competition’s finals, if not the best in the entire Champions League.

On October 17, the player was voted the best goalkeeper in the world for the 2021–22 season and won the Yashin Trophy, an award given by France Football magazine as part of the 2022 Ballon d’Or award .

He made his 200th appearance for Real Madrid on 15 January 2023, in the Spanish Super Cup final , where he was unable to prevent a 3–1 defeat to rivals Barcelona .

The goalkeeper started the 2023–24 season with some bad news: on August 10, during a Real training session, Courtois suffered a very serious injury and ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament . The club did not provide a recovery time, but unofficial information put the return time between seven and nine months.

On 15 January 2024, FIFA announced the 2023 FIFA The Best Team of the Year , and Courtois was chosen for the All-Star Team.

The family history of Thibaut Courtois

Thibaut is very close to his family. His parents, Thierry and Gitte Courtois, were both prominent Belgian volleyball players, a sport that initially influenced his career.
His sister, Valérie Courtois, is a renowned volleyball player, who was awarded Best Libero at the European Championships in 2013. His brother, Gaetan, is a big supporter of Thibaut.

Thibaut Courtois’s parents

Thibaut Courtois’s father

Thibaut Courtois’s father is Thierry Courtois

Mother of Thibaut Courtois

Lambrechts, also known as Gitte Courtois, is the mother of the famous goalkeeper Thibaut. Like her husband Thierry, Gitte is also a Belgian volleyball legend. It was volleyball that brought Thibaut Courtois’ parents together.

Thibaut Courtois’ siblings

Thibaut Courtois has an incredibly beautiful sister named Valérie Courtois. Valérie is a professional volleyball player known for her role as a libero with Budowlani Łódź and the Belgian national volleyball team.
In 2013, she was named Best Libero at the European Championships. Valérie is two years older than her brother. Below is Valérie Courtois (nicknamed the ‘Yellow Tiger’) in action.
Gaetan Courtois is the younger brother of Thibaut Courtois. He is a big supporter of his older brother.

Thibaut Courtois’ wife

Known for being romantic, Thibaut has had unstable relationships. During his time at Atlético de Madrid, he began a relationship with Marta Domínguez, with whom he had a daughter, Adriana, in 2015.
Although the couple split in 2017, Thibaut and Marta had another son, Nicolas, that same year. After the split, Courtois quickly moved on, being seen with other partners.

Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne relationship feud

Kevin De Bruyne, a former friend of Courtois, had a tumultuous relationship with Caroline Lijnen. After Kevin had an affair, Caroline began a relationship with Thibaut, worsening the situation between the two athletes.
This event had a huge impact on their friendship and careers, especially Kevin’s, who left Chelsea due to the tensions.

Thibaut Courtois’s children

Thibaut Courtois has two children from his previous relationship

Facts about Thibaut Courtois

• Eva Carneiro, former Chelsea doctor, was highlighted in a controversial episode involving José Mourinho.
• Courtois has a practical and reliable personality, but shows instability in emotional situations.
• He starred in popular memes with the term “Thibauting”, which symbolizes spectacular defenses.