Thibaut Courtois Leads One Particular Stat In 2025 Which Reveals Telling Sign
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There are lots of players who cause debate within the Real Madrid fanbase and media. Several people are fans of Vinicius, and less so of Kylian Mbappe, whilst plenty are of the opposite opinion.
Many fans think Aurelien Tchouameni should be the club's long-term defensive midfielder, whilst others want him replaced as soon as possible. Some want Arda Guler to start as the number ten, some want him to start deeper, and others don't want him to start at all.
However, one player who is unanimously liked, supported, and backed by the fanbase is Thibaut Courtois. Everyone agrees that Los Blancos would be much worse off with even a simple "good" goalkeeper.
Thibaut Courtois leads top leagues in one stat
Since swapping capitals from England to Spain in 2018, Courtois has been extremely consistent. His most notable performance was perhaps the 2022 UEFA Champions League final, where he made a string of saves to somehow keep Liverpool at bay. There was one save in particular to push a Sadio Mane shot onto the post that just can't be explained.
His reliability in goal for Los Blancos has been explained in one specific stat. According to Opta Jose, no keeper in Europe's top five leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1) has made more saves in 2025 than Courtois, with 174.
No doubt an incredible stat that says a lot about how good the Belgian goalkeeper is. However, it is also a stat that says just as much about - if not more - about the team as a collective. And this time, in a derogatory sense.
Stats about goalkeeper saves get mentioned all the time. However, there is usually a clear pattern to them. For example, in the Premier League, Burnley's Martin Dubravka has made the most saves this season, with 59, alongside Robin Roefs of Sunderland. They are then followed by former Real Madrid goalkeeper Alphonse Areola (51, West Ham United).
Manchester City's Gianluigi Donnarumma ranks 16th with 29 saves (albeit he missed three games), whilst Arsenal's David Raya ranks 19th with 27 saves. It is clear to all that the goalkeepers of the top clubs are less busy than those of the lesser sides.
Yet, Real Madrid's Courtois leads the way for all of the clubs in the top five leagues. It is a really bad look on the defence and the side's collective that he has had to make so many saves throughout the year.
Goalkeepers will be the first to tell you when they win an award, such as the club's player of the year - they would rather the forwards were top of the pile. Let's hope we will see Real Madrid's attacking players leading more stats in 2026.
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Tom Vinall is a sports writer covering Real Madrid On SI. Previously, he had worked at FanSided as both a contributor and site expert, covering the likes of Spurs and Bayern Munich. He has also previously written for Transfer News Live. Tom was born and lives in Bristol, South West England, and loves to listen to music as well as learning Spanish.
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