Real Madrid goalkeeper opens up on Mourinho, Bellingham and Xabi Alonso’s exit

Real Madrid goalkeeper opens up on Mourinho, Bellingham and Xabi Alonso’s exit Thibaut Courtois is one of the most experienced players in this Real Madrid squad, who has played at the highest level for several clubs over the course of his career. However, his most notable stints came at the Merengue club and with the Premier League side Chelsea. One thing that he had common in both these clubs was Jose Mourinho, as the goalkeeper worked with the Portuguese coach in both England and Spain . As MARCA has reported, the Belgian recently appeared in an interview with Sky Sports and expressed his happiness on working with the Portuguese trainer again: “It’s great, really great. I’m very happy. When he left Chelsea, we parted on good terms. Yes, I’m joking. It’s always good to work with him again. He’s an excellent coach, and I was looking forward to his return.” “I remember that I accidentally ignored his first message for two weeks. We were at the World Cup at the time, and on the day he sent me the message, we were on a plane. The time difference and the lack of Wi-Fi on the plane also meant that I missed a lot of messages. Later, after a match, he messaged me again, and I asked someone at Real Madrid: ‘Is this the coach’s number?’ But everything is fine now.” The goalkeeper also commented on how the Real Madrid coach has changed over the years: “I’ll use his own words. I think he himself has said that he might have matured a little. With all that experience, I think he’s also a little calmer at times. I remember that at Chelsea, he was more assertive in the dressing room and created a stronger sense of pressure. He’s still like that now, but compared with my memories from 12 years ago, I think he’s slightly less intense.” “His personality is still the same, and his presence is still the same. He can make his presence felt throughout the room. You walk into a room and, as long as he’s there, you can feel his presence. I think that’s exactly what we need.” Courtois also opened up on his relationship with Jude Bellingham: “I have a very high opinion of Jude. Firstly, he’s a great guy and a good friend of mine. Secondly, he’s an excellent player. I think he had a fantastic first season. Last year, myself included, our entire team probably failed to perform at the level we should have.” “Jude is very important to us. Whether it’s with the ball, running or defending, he’s excellent, and he’s still very young. I hope that by the time he retires, he’ll have won more titles with Real Madrid. I also hope he can win more trophies with the England national team. Perhaps not the European Championship, because I hope Belgium win that one. However, if England win it, I’ll be very happy for Jude as well. He’s an excellent player and a good friend of mine.” Meanwhile, commenting on Xabi Alonso’s departure from Real Madrid, the goalkeeper only had sympathy for his former coach: “It’s not fair. I think that’s always how it works in football: when results aren’t good, the manager is the first to pay the price.” “I think that, perhaps in some situations, there wasn’t a good understanding between Xabi Alonso and the players, although I believe he had a good understanding with many of them.” With his experience and skills, Thibaut Courtois remains one of the most important players for Real Madrid on the pitch. But even beyond the pitch, he is a crucial part of the dressing room, and him having a good relationship with Jose Mourinho could turn out to be decisive if the Merengues are to achieve any notable success this season.