Courtois isn’t considering an exotic destination or a return to his roots; he wants to retire wearing the Real Madrid shirt.
Thibaut Courtois , Real Madrid’s goalkeeper, wants to finish his career at the club and knows he won’t be long in hanging up his gloves. This can be deduced from his recent comments about his future, in which he confessed that he doesn’t want to go to the United States or Qatar, nor does he want to end his career at Genk, the same club where he began.
“My dream and my goal is to finish my career at Real Madrid,” announced Courtois, who isn’t considering a return to his roots: “Going back to Genk? For me, that’s a closed chapter. They have young and powerful goalkeepers, so I don’t think I should go back there as a player ,” stated the Belgian, who is currently playing in his last World Cup.
Courtois, in the final stages of his sporting career
The Real Madrid goalkeeper is certain he can extend his playing career a little longer, but he’s already starting to think about retirement: “As a goalkeeper, I’d say the ideal age is between 29 and 34. I missed a year due to injury, and perhaps that can extend my career a bit. I feel good, I take good care of myself, and I’m a more complete goalkeeper ,” he confessed, acknowledging that he’s entering a difficult age where a decline might occur, although he’ll fight to prevent it.
His recent contract renewal with Real Madrid doesn’t mean he can’t retire from football at any time, as he’s aware the club will soon look for a replacement:ย
“At Real Madrid, the policy is to renew contracts year after year after thirty. That’s why I’m relaxed.ย If I maintain this level, renewal won’t be a problem. Butย
the club is elite and, at some point, they’ll look for a successorย ,” he said.
Thus, Courtois, 34, is considering retiring from football within two or three years. He will retire from the Belgian national team this summer after the World Cup: “I don’t know if it’s the right time to talk about it, but there’s a greater chance that I won’t continue than that I’ll stay with the national team after the World Cup. I’m 34 years old and I have to think about my body. I want to play at a high level for many years,” he recently commented.
Real Madrid are looking for a long-term replacement for Thibaut Courtois.
Real Madrid has been working for some time on finding goalkeepers for the future. Right now, Lunin ‘s future doesn’t seem to be a problem for the club, and Andriy will remain Courtois’ backup unless something changes. However, the club isn’t convinced that the Ukrainian goalkeeper should be Courtois’ long-term replacement.
The time will soon come for Real Madrid to make decisions . They continue to trust Courtois, but, like the goalkeeper himself, they are clear that the future of the goalkeeping position is an issue that will have to be addressed sooner rather than later.
