Spanish club Real Madrid has been hit with a major blow ahead of the La Liga opener as star goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is set to undergo surgery for his ligament tear. The Madrid club is set to kickstart its campaign against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, August 12. However, the team is set to miss the services of the Belgian International for a major part of the season.
Courtois tore the ligament in his left knee while training. The goalkeeper also released a statement on his social media accounts. "You never expect to go through something like this, but now it's time to accept it and do everything possible to overcome it and come back even stronger," Courtois said. "Thank you all for the energy, love and encouragement, I assure you that they motivate me to recover as quickly as possible," he added.
This leaves Madrid with a goalkeeper issue. Ukraine's Andriy Lunin is the backup but has been rarely used. The club did not sign any gloveman despite the media speculating about possible replacements. The club will also be missing the services of midfielder Arda Güler will reportedly be unavailable for several weeks due to a knee issue. He will also require surgery for the injury.
Courtois' services paid dividends to Madrid
Notably, Courtois' glove work has paid dividends to Real Madrid. Since arriving at the Spanish club in 2018, he has helped them win the Champions League in 2022, Spanish league titles in 2020 and 2022 and Copa del Rey last season. They finished the La Liga 2021-22 season on top with 26 wins from 38 matches.
