Thibaut Courtois' Father Leaps to Son's Defence After Criticism Following Ajax Display

Thibaut Courtois' father has hit out at those who have criticised his son this season. 

The goalkeeper, who joined Real Madrid for a fee of around £35m from Chelsea in the summer, has endured a disappointing maiden campaign for Los Blancos, who crashed out of the Champions League to Ajax in the round of 16 stage last week. 

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In a turbulent season, the Belgian goalkeeper has underwhelmed, with Real Madrid shipping 32 goals in La Liga already this season, a higher total than the likes of Athletic Bilbao, Getafe and Alaves. In addition, Courtois came under fire for his part in Madrid's 4-1 Champions League defeat to Ajax.

However, Thibaut's father Thierry has condemned the harsh treatment of his son by some sections of the media and claimed that his son can bounce back.

"I feel that everything and everyone thinks about Thibaut," he said, viaHLN News. “By the Spanish press, but also by the Flemish press. As a parent, I can't just let that pass over me. A goalkeeper is always the first to be targeted, that is the destiny of a goalkeeper. Rightly or wrongly, I leave that in the middle.

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"Against Ajax he got the wind from the front, while he kept on that fourth goal after a great match. Only that one mistake is now magnified enormously. Things are also coming out of the private sphere and I notice that journalists are trying to score on my son's hood. I'm having a hard time with that.

"Fortunately, Thibaut is above that. He knows what he can do and how good he is, this will not make him doubt."

Real Madrid next host Celta Vigo at the Bernabeu in La Liga, which will mark the return of Zinedine Zidane as manager after the club announced his return this week. Courtois will hope to put on an assured performance to silent some of his critics and impress his new manager in order to maintain his selection in the starting lineup.