Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has admitted that he became a fan of Manchester United in his younger years and wanted to join the club, but a transfer to Old Trafford was ultimately blocked by David de Gea.
Widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation, Courtois began his career in his native Belgium with Genk where he spent 10 years in their academy and two years as a senior player between 2009 and 2011 before joining Chelsea.
Before making the move to Stamford Bridge, Courtois had his eyes set on a transfer to Man United, as he grew up admiring legendary goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, while he also had an offer on the table from Tottenham Hotspur.
A move to either Man United or Spurs failed to materialise, with the former opting to sign De Gea instead under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2011 following Van de Sar's retirement.
Courtois is still pleased with how his career has shaped out as he has since won a total of 20 trophies during spells at Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
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'De Gea joining Man Utd helped me shape my path in a different way'
Appearing on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, presented by Qatar Airways, Courtois told the former Man United defender: "I loved Edwin van der Sar and [Iker] Casillas. So Casillas was because of his young age when he came into the goal at Madrid. At my age, I think I was 11 or 12 at that time.
"I was just starting being goalkeeper. I really also blew my mind. Like, wow, he's in Real Madrid, and I always followed those games. Then I followed always Manchester United for Edwin.
"They signed David [De Gea], so that helped me shape my path in a different way. I think that obviously that moment when I was at Genk starting to do something decent.
"Obviously, there was some interest of Tottenham at that moment. There was some interest of Chelsea, some other teams from other countries, and obviously Chelsea at that moment had the best project for me on the long term.
"Because [De Gea] was going to Manchester, it opened the door for me to go alone to Atletico. I think that transfer for me made me into the goalkeeper I am today."
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Courtois enjoying successful career despite failed Man Utd transfer
Courtois was signed by Chelsea from Genk for a reported €9m, but he immediately moved to Spain and spent three full seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid, making 154 appearances in all competitions and winning five trophies including the 2011-12 Europa League and 2013-14 La Liga title.
The Belgian shot-stopper then returned to Chelsea where he established himself as their number one between 2014 and 2018, playing 154 times for the Premier League side in all tournaments.
Courtois helped Chelsea win two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and one EFL Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge, while he was also between the sticks for Belgium at the 2018 World Cup when they famously finished third and he won the Golden Glove for being the tournament's best goalkeeper.
Real Madrid then came calling in the summer of 2018 and signed Courtois for around £35m; the goalkeeper has since cemented his place as an integral first-team player for Los Blancos and has made 267 appearances in total, with 100 clean sheets kept in his first 161 of those.
At the age of 32, Courtois has won 12 trophies with Real Madrid, including three La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues, producing a man-of-the-match display in the 2022 UCL final triumph against Liverpool.
Oliver Thomas
