Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa has declared that there is “no debate” that Thibaut Courtois is the best goalkeeper in the club’s history, a title usually attributed to legend Iker Casillas.
The Spanish coach, who spent six seasons playing with Casillas at the Santiago Bernabeu, chose to place the team’s current goalkeeper ahead of his former teammate.
With Courtois’ performance in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 still fresh in his mind, Arbeloa did not spare praise for the Belgian goalkeeper.
“I’ve played with some of the best goalkeepers in the world,” the 43-year-old said at the pre-match press conference on Friday.
“I think they were not only among the best in the world, but they were also considered among the best in history.”
“However, what Thibaut Courtois is doing, I have not seen from anyone else. I said it the other day and I stand by what I said: for me there is no debate with any goalkeeper and, in my opinion, we are seeing the best goalkeeper in the history of Real Madrid.”
Arbeloa’s strong statement juxtaposes two remarkable careers from two different eras. Casillas is widely regarded as the greatest goalkeeper in the club’s history and one of the best to ever play in the role.
The former Spain goalkeeper spent 16 glorious years at Real Madrid, winning 19 trophies, including five La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies. Casillas also earned the nickname “San Iker” for his often extraordinary saves between the posts.
He shone from his debut at the age of 18 at San Mamés to his final match at the Santiago Bernabeu almost two decades later. During that time, Casillas led Spain to World Cup triumph in 2010, as well as two European Championship titles in 2008 and 2012.
For a long time there has been little debate about Casillas’ place among the legends of the Madrid club, with even the official Real Madrid website describing him as “the best goalkeeper in our history”. However, Courtois’ heroics have added a new dimension to the debate.
The Belgian goalkeeper has been arguably Real Madrid’s best and most consistent player since his move to the club in the 2018/19 season. Although he doesn’t have as many trophies as Casillas, he has won two Champions League trophies and three La Liga titles with Real Madrid.
Even more impressive are his performances on the way to those two Champions League triumphs. Courtois kept a clean sheet in the 2022 and 2024 finals, while his performance against Liverpool in the 2022 final is still considered one of the best performances by a goalkeeper in the history of the competition.