Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois shared his thoughts on playing against Cristiano Ronaldo in the past at the 2024 Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai on December 27th. The Belgian star shot-stopper was awarded the Player Career Award at the 15th annual awards ceremony.
Ronaldo and Courtois attended the Globe Soccer Awards ceremony with CNN Sports’ Amanda Davis to discuss current soccer happenings. The 32-year-old goalkeeper spoke about his journey to becoming one of the best soccer players in the world.
Thibaut Courtois has told how he received an offer from Chelsea in 2011 after starting his senior career with Genk in Belgium as a boy. He was on loan at Atlético Madrid from 2011 to 2014, before joining Los Blancos in 2018.
While speaking on a panel at the Dubai International Sports Conference 2024, the goalkeeper mentioned his experience playing against Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo. He said this (via @TimelineCR7 on X):
“I tried to stop this guy, but he scored too many goals against me.”
Ronaldo and Courtois were both part of the Santiago Bernabéu squad, but they have never shared the pitch since the Portuguese icon parted ways with the club in 2018.
The pair have played 10 games for their respective clubs and countries, with the Belgian winning three times but losing six.
Cristiano Ronaldo talks about his former club Real Madrid at the 2024 Globe Soccer Awards
Cristiano Ronaldo praised his former club Real Madrid at the 2024 Globe Soccer Awards. Los Blancos have been plagued by injuries this season and have been criticized for their form.
However, Ronaldo disagreed with the critics and expressed confidence in Real’s chances this season. Speaking on a panel at the annual awards ceremony, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner said (via CNN Sports):
“I don’t understand why they would say something like this. If I had to bet on winning the Champions League again, I would bet on Real Madrid, because you never know what will happen.”
“And the Bernabéu (Santiago, Real Madrid’s stadium) was different then. Every team is scared when they play there. It’s true, history says so. Real Madrid is dead. Don’t think about it, because they always come back,” the 39-year-old star forward added.
Cristiano Ronaldo joined the Santiago Bernabéu from Manchester United in 2009. He made 438 appearances in all competitions during his nine seasons with the club, providing 131 assists and scoring 450 goals, making him the Spanish club’s all-time leading scorer.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the Best Middle Eastern Player award at the 2024 Globe Soccer Awards and also received the honorary award for being the all-time top scorer with 916 goals.
Edited by Ankush Das