Thibaut Courtois says his experience competing with Petr Cech at Chelsea shaped his approach to goalkeeping and means he would support any future rival for his place at Real Madrid.
Cech was 32 when Courtois returned to Chelsea after spending three seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid. Courtois had played against Chelsea in the 2013-14 Champions League semi-final, despite Jose Mourinho arguing that a goalkeeper contracted to Chelsea should not face the club for Atletico.
UEFA ruled that Courtois could play, and he featured in the tie. Mourinho did not greet him after the match, with the pair not meeting again until that summer.
Courtois said Mourinho was acting in Chelsea’s interests and that, after the World Cup, the manager made clear that selection would depend on performance.
“He told me: ‘If you train well and play well, you will play,’” Courtois said. “For me, continuing to get game opportunities was very important. Ultimately, you have to earn your place through performance.”
Courtois understood why Mourinho had been unhappy about the semi-final, but said the experience did not damage their working relationship.
“Given his desire to win, how could he not think that way?” he said. “He said he couldn’t understand why a Chelsea player would play for Atletico. But UEFA was clear that I should play, and I couldn’t claim to be injured unless I truly was.”
Courtois went on to win two Premier League titles with Chelsea and credited Cech, who remained at the club when he returned, with helping him significantly.
“Cech ended up helping me a lot,” he said. “That experience under Mourinho also made me stronger.”
He recalled how Mourinho used competition to keep him focused, including one occasion when the manager left him out and celebrated a fine Cech save in a way Courtois felt was intended to provoke him. In the following match, Courtois made six saves as Chelsea beat West Ham 1-0.
“Mourinho is very direct and a winner who just wants to win,” Courtois said. “When he sees you becoming complacent, he will put you on the bench.”
Courtois believes that pressure remains essential. He said players must never feel their position is guaranteed and that the possibility of losing their place helps maintain the standards required to win championships.
Asked whether he would respond as Cech did if another goalkeeper challenged him at the age of 45, Courtois said he would.
He explained that Cech had understood Chelsea were leaning towards Courtois, but continued to compete professionally. Cech advised him, helped him in training and offered protection after poor performances, while also pushing him to maintain his level.
“If he trained well, I also had to train well,” Courtois said. “I think that is very rare.”
Courtois added that he would take the same approach if another goalkeeper joined Real Madrid. Even during the season in which he suffered a knee injury, he said he would have supported Andriy Lunin if Lunin had retained his place and played in the Champions League final.
“I would never show a bad attitude or sulk because that doesn’t help teammates,” he said. “If you want to be angry, you should talk to the head coach, not another player. The other player is not at fault.”
Courtois said goalkeepers develop a particularly close relationship because only two, three or four usually train together. He had experienced that dynamic with Simon Mignolet and other goalkeepers while playing for the national team.
He also reflected on his media reputation, saying he tries to be direct, specific and truthful while protecting his team-mates. He admitted, however, that his emotions once took over after Belgium lost a World Cup semi-final to France.
Belgium were 1-0 down when Kylian Mbappe repeatedly slowed the game near the wing during the final 10 minutes. Courtois criticised France’s approach as “anti-football” in an immediate interview, comments that are still joked about in France.
Mbappe later mentioned the incident to him, but Courtois accepted that France had been entitled to manage the game in that way. He said losing a World Cup semi-final at the age of 26 had made him react emotionally.
Courtois said he now thinks carefully before losing his temper. He believes constant shouting becomes ineffective, whereas a rare outburst carries greater weight.
The goalkeeper also said age had changed Mourinho, who he believes remains demanding and strict in tactical meetings but is calmer, more experienced and more composed with the media than he was 12 years ago. Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid may also have affected him after the club gave him another opportunity many years after his first spell, when he had won the Champions League with Porto and Inter Milan and called himself “the Special One”.
Courtois added that he is not the same person he was 12 or 13 years ago and is far less likely to become angry during training. He said that if he does lose his temper now, players may assume something serious has happened.
He also insists that self-criticism is central to his public comments. Referring to the Copa del Rey final two years ago, he accepted responsibility for an error that allowed the opposition to equalise and possibly contributed to his side losing the trophy.
“For a goalkeeper, mistakes often cost more than a striker’s mistakes,” he said. “Sometimes it is possible to explain a decision, but sometimes it is simply a mistake.”
