Thibaut Courtois Reveals Who Blocked His Desired Move To Man Utd
Thibaut Courtois spent his Premier League career playing for Chelsea, but there was a moment when he wanted to play for another English club.
Courtois made a name for himself at Atletico Madrid, where he spent three years on loan from Chelsea. But there was a moment when the Belgian's heart was set on a move to Old Trafford, having grown up as a fan of the Red Devils.
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Although Courtois was eager to join the Red Devils in 2011, Sir Alex Ferguson, then United's manager, chose David De Gea as the club's long-term keeper.
It was a decision that left Courtois disappointed, but he shared on the "Rio Ferdinand Presents" podcast (via The Mirror) that he's happy with how his career has turned out.
⛔ @thibautcourtois ⛔@LaLiga | #LaLigaHighlights pic.twitter.com/wAjDz0ppxB
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) May 4, 2024
I followed always Manchester United for Edwin [van der Sar]. They signed David (De Gea), you know. 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.Thibaut Courtois
When the Manchester United door closed, Courtois admitted that he considered joining Tottenham Hotspur but ultimately settled on Chelsea after leaving Genk in 2011.
THAT Thibaut Courtois display 🚫@thibautcourtois || #UCL pic.twitter.com/83e5N9spSV
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 20, 2023
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.Thibaut Courtois
Courtois' career has turned out well, even without the move to Manchester United. Courtois won league titles with Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, and Real Madrid, plus two Champions Leagues with Los Blancos and numerous other trophies.
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Eduardo is an experienced freelance football writer covering Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG On SI. He also covers PSG for PSG Talk and French football for Ligue 1's official English website. He's contributed to NBC Sports' regional sports networks, including NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, providing in-depth sports content for those markets.