Thibaut Courtois believes he could have ended up at Manchester United – the club he ‘at all times followed’ growing up – had it not been for David de Gea.
Courtois has been probably the greatest goalkeepers on this planet over the past decade, winning league titles at Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and Real Madrid.
The Belgian burst onto the scene at boyhood club Genk and revealed he attracted interest from Tottenham and multiple European clubs in the summertime of 2011 when he was signed by Chelsea.
Chelsea immediately sent Courtois out on loan to Atletico and he flourished in Madrid, helping Diego Simeone’s side win the Europa League and a shocking La Liga title.
The Blues were completely happy for Courtois to develop at Atletico as Chelsea legend Petr Cech was still starring at Stamford Bridge however the younger goalkeeper displaced the veteran throughout the 2013-14 season.
Courtois lifted two Premier League titles within the space of three years at Chelsea – winning the Golden Glove award in 2016-17 – before joining Real Madrid, where has has spent the last seven years.
The 32-year-old has enjoyed remarkable levels of success on the Bernabeu, winning three more La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues under Carlo Ancelotti.
Courtois at all times dreamed of playing for Real Madrid having idolised Iker Casillas growing up but would have been keen to follow within the footsteps of Manchester United legend Edwin van der Sar for a similar reason.
Had it not been for De Gea – who spent a decade because the No. 1 at Old Trafford after joining from Atletico in 2011 – Courtois could have spent a while at Old Trafford.
‘I loved Edwin van der Sar and Casillas,’ he told former United defender Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel.
‘I at all times followed Real Madrid and Manchester United games for that reason. I watched a whole lot of Edwin growing up and I attempted to learn from him.’
Asked by Ferdinand why he never moved to the Theatre of Dreams, Courtois replied: ‘They signed David [de Gea[, you understand?
‘That shaped my path in a little bit of a distinct way. I used to be a fan of Man United.
‘In the meanwhile once I was beginning to do well at Genk, there was some interest from Tottenham, some interest from Chelsea and a few interest from clubs in other countries too.
‘Chelsea at that moment had the perfect project for me long-term and principally because David was going to Man United, it opened the door for me to go to Atletico.
‘That move made me into the goalkeeper I’m today.’
Courtois was greater than ready to exchange Cech as Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper when he returned to west London however the veteran didn’t let the possibly awkward situation affect their relationship.
‘I learned so much from Petr,’ Courtois added. ‘He was very vital for me. He was probably the greatest goalkeeping teammates I had.
‘I got here in and was fighting for the spot but Petr was an unbelievable guy who treated me with a lot respect, a lot love and a lot help that I actually could never have imagined. But it surely taught me so much.’
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