Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is putting in strong performances to demonstrate why he can continue to play the part of an immortal god in Real Madrid’s wooden goal against Dortmund in the Champions League final on January 6 at Wembley Stadium.

Courtois, who had just returned from a nine-month injury, started three consecutive La Liga games, enabling the home club win and keep clean sheets in all three. In instance, the 32-year-old goalkeeper made 10 saves against Alaves in round 36 of the country’s top competition. Courtois became the first Real Madrid goalkeeper to make ten saves in a La Liga clean sheet since Casillas in 2008.

Real annihilated away opposition Alaves by five goals without reply. But if Courtois had not been the goalkeeper in this match, Los Blancos might not have been able to keep a clean sheet. Because in this encounter, the home team at the Bernabeu received 18 shots, 10 of which were on target but were all blocked by Courtois.

It may be argued that keeping clean sheets in the first three games after a nine-month absence due to injury boosts Courtois’ confidence, and Real fans trust him more for the remainder of the season. It appears that fate chose Courtois. Because Kepa and Andriy Lunin have guarded Real’s goal since the start of the season, allowing them to concede only 22 goals in the National Championship this season, Courtois started and kept a clean sheet in the 3-0 win over Cadiz, marking Los Blancos’ official victory in La Liga four rounds early.

It was Courtois’ first match of the 2023/24 season after missing 335 days due to injury. As a reminder, he injured his anterior cruciate ligament just before the season began, and then tore the meniscus in his other knee late in his recuperation.

Courtois also made a crucial save against Cadiz, preventing away team striker Chris Ramos from opening the scoring (50′) before Los Blancos’ first goal, scored by Brahim Diaz (51′). The rush to the touchline to prevent the ball from going out following that intervention revealed the silhouette of a “spider” somewhere, prompting huge cheers from the Bernabeu crowd.

On his 32nd birthday, Courtois stood firm as Real defeated Granada 4-0 away from home. Then Alaves became the Belgian goalkeeper’s next “victim”. Real fans are accustomed to seeing Courtois after matches, full of pride and marked by his incredible saves. It seemed as if no time had gone.

But, in exchange for those outstanding performances after 9 months off due to injury, how patient, persistent, and effortful did Courtois have to be? Every day, he practices for at least 5 hours on the practice field or at home.

During the initial phases of rehabilitation, Courtois concentrated on exercises to avoid muscle loss and reflexes. When he thought his body had adjusted sufficiently and the doctors gave him the go-ahead, he began working out in the gym, using motion sensors and tennis balls to maintain his reflexes.

Every day, Courtois goes to the Valdebebas training ground early in the morning for physical therapy and workouts before going home to eat, rest, and continue his work. Although it is difficult to predict when Courtois will return, there is growing speculation that he may return before the end of April. The thought of a Champions League final provides additional impetus for the Belgian goalie. Courtois took a significant step toward that aim on January 6, when he returned to training for the first time in months following an injury.

Three persons contributed significantly to Courtois’ recovery: goalkeeping coach Luis Llopis, Real physiotherapist Davide Violati, and fitness coach Giuseppe Bellistri. Violati is so close to Courtois that he accompanied him to the 2022 World Cup with the Belgian squad. However, on March 19, Courtois acquired a new injury while training: a damaged meniscus in his knee, forcing him to rest for another two months and giving him little prospect of returning to play this season.

Others may just give up. But not Courtois. He listened to his body, sought and chose the finest counsel from the medical team, goalkeeping and conditioning coaches, and Carlo Ancelotti himself, allowing him to shorten his recuperation to more than one month. In addition, the arrival of his third daughter Ellie, his first kid with his current partner, model Mishel Gerzig, is a strong motivator for Courtois to recover quickly.

And the rest is what he shows. With this form, Courtois is poised to replace Lunin in the Champions League final.