COURTOIS OUT FOR THE SEASON WITH TORN ACL INJURY, REAL MADRID ENTER GOALKEEPER MARKET

   Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament injury, the club confirmed on Thursday.

   “Following tests carried out on Thibaut Courtois, the player has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee,” the club statement read. “The player will undergo surgery in the coming days.”

   One of the game’s most prolific goalkeepers, Courtois will likely sit out the entirety of the 2023/24 season. The Belgian international tore his ACL during training on Thursday morning and was seen leaving the pitch in tears. Courtois is set to undergo surgery to repair the damage.

   The former Chelsea man has been a constant presence at Real Madrid ever since his £35 million move to the Spanish capital in August of 2018. Courtois has made 230 appearances at Real Madrid in that period, by far the most appearances he’s made at any club in his career. The Belgian has won 2 La Liga titles, 2 Supercopa de España, the Copa del Rey, a UEFA Champions League title, the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup during his time in Spain.

   Courtois’ teammates showed solidarity with their no.1 goalkeeper on social media all throughout the week. Center back Antonio Rudiger wrote on Twitter, “Stay strong brother, we are with you” while midfielder Toni Kroos said on Instagram, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, @thibautcourtois! Speedy recovery.”

   With Courtois out for an extended period of time, Real Madrid will now enter the goalkeeping market in search of a replacement for the 31-year-old. Courtois’ injury leaves 24-year-old Andriy Lunin as the only senior goalkeeping option at the club, just three days before the team travels to Bilbao in their season opener against the Zuri-gorriak.

   Early reports from Madrid claim, however, that the club is weighing its options and might be looking to acquire former Manchester United goalkeeper, David De Gea. Soon to turn 33-years-old in November, the Spaniard exited United this summer after a period of 11 years at the club and is currently available to sign on a free transfer.

   Madrid have also been linked to Sevilla’s Yassine Bounou and could look to meet the Moroccan’s €20 million release clause this summer. The 32-year-old is one of La Liga’s best goalkeepers and has more recent experience in the Spanish league. Standing at 6-foot-5, Bounou would be an almost identical replacement for Thibaut Courtois.

   Other goalkeepers that could potentially make the move to Real Madrid to play in Courtois’ stead include Chelsea’s goalkeeper and Bayern Munich’s favorite transfer target Kepa Arrizabalaga, former Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas, Valencia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili and Dinamo Zagreb’s Dominik Livakovic. De Gea and Bounou, however, remain the priority players for Los Blancos.

   Bounou sent a heartfelt message to Courtois on Instagram, writing under the Belgian’s post, “Get well soon, my friend.”

   While both De Gea and Bounou offer Real Madrid a rare opportunity at acquiring a good goalkeeper this late in the summer, the club and President Sergio Perez have to decide between acquiring a player who lost his starting role for the national team a couple of years ago to Kepa Arrizabalaga, or spending a little more than a few million euros on a goalkeeper that will eventually end up being the backup once Courtois gets healthy again next season.

   With the club preparing for a season without top striker and 2022 Ballon D’or winner Karim Benzema, and last year’s IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper, manager Carlo Ancelloti will have a lot on his plate this season. Madrid will hope to begin 2023/24 with a successful outing at a tough San Mames as the team goes knocking on the door of an astute Athletic Bilbao, a team with a mission for the six available European football spots this season.

-Maher Abucheri

Twitter: @pabloikonyero

Photo: Lupin 813359. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

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