Iker Casillas makes surprising Real Madrid claim about Thibaut Courtois: “It’s a Bad Thing”

Iker Casillas makes surprising Real Madrid claim about Thibaut Courtois: “It’s a Bad Thing” Real Madrid have made a productive start to the season, winning four of their opening five matches across all competitions. The latest victory came earlier this week in the Champions League, with Jose Mourinho’s side edging past Inter Milan by a 2-1 scoreline – and it was far from a comfortable evening at the Bernabeu for the 15-time champions. Real Madrid missed a number of chances to kill the game as a contest, and at the other end, they also allowed Inter to test Thibaut Courtois on many occasions. The Belgian goalkeeper made seven saves, with many – including his manager – believing that he should have won the MVP award, not Federico Valverde. Courtois has been a vital player for Real Madrid ever since he arrived from Chelsea eight years ago, and according to club icon Iker Casillas (via MD ), he was one of the best players in La Liga during the 2026-27 season. But he was also quick to emphasise that this is not a good thing for Los Blancos. “It’s good to have Courtois in the Top 3 (of best players in La Liga). But, if the goalkeeper is the best in the team, it’s a bad thing.” Real Madrid need to be better defensively under Mourinho Courtois was excellent for Real Madrid over the course of the 2025-26 season, but they will be relieved that he’s been less busy during the opening stages of the current campaign – aside from the aforementioned Inter match. It’s clear that the first team cannot afford to be as bad defensively, and so far, Mourinho has appeared to tighten things up – helped by the likes of Marc Cucurella and Ibrahima Konate joining in the summer. It remains to be seen how Real Madrid get on during the 2026-27 season from a defensive standpoint, but it is positive that Mourinho has identified the issues from the previous campaign.