Thibaut Courtois’ dad hits out at media criticism of former Chelsea star
Thibaut Courtois’ father has lashed out at the press for unfairly criticising the goalkeeper during a difficult period for Real Madrid.
The Belgian, who joined the La Liga side from Chelsea in a deal worth around £35 million last summer, has struggled to find his best form in a disappointing season for the Merengues.
Zinedine Zidane’s return as coach on Monday, in place of the sacked Santiago Solari, sparked suggestions that the Frenchman’s previous first-choice keeper Keylor Navas could be reinstated as No.1.
Courtois’ father Thierry accused the media of targeting his son in the wake of their humiliating 4-1 Champions League last-16 second-leg defeat to Ajax last week, which saw them crash out 5-3 on aggregate.
"I feel that everyone is targeting Thibaut," he said.
"The Spanish press, and also the Flemish. As a father, I can't ignore that.
"A goalkeeper is always the first target, it's part of the job. For right or wrong, I let you judge that.
“But after the match against Ajax, he was targeted because of the fourth goal after he’d played well. This single mistake has taken on huge proportions.
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"There are also personal things that come out in the press. I see the intentions of journalists to my son. I’m struggling with that, but luckily Thibaut is above that.
"He knows what to do and is aware of his qualities, and he will not doubt himself."
Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.