Can’t blame him for celebrating that performance, tbf
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has celebrated his Champions League final heroics against Liverpool by getting a brick wall tattoo on his arm.
The Belgium international made a record-breaking nine saves against Jurgen Klopp’s men at the Stade de France in May and produced one of the all-time great performances.
Vinicius Jr’s second half strike sealed a historic win for the LaLiga outfit, but it was Courtois who received the majority of the praise after his stunning display.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side lifted the trophy for a record 14th time and former Chelsea shot-stopper Courtois proceeded to tell fans to “put respect” on his name.
During an emotional post-match interview, he said: “Today I needed to win a final for my career. For all the hard work, to put some respect on my name, because I don’t think I get enough respect. Especially in England.”
"Today I needed to win a final for my career, for all the hard work, to put some respect on my name, because I don't think I get enough respect. Especially in England." 🤐
Put respect on Thibaut Courtois' name 👊
🎙 @TheDesKelly | #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/YHhlO5lELZ
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 28, 2022
Courtois gets fresh tattoo to celebrate triumph
To celebrate his outing against Liverpool in Paris, the 30-year-old got a tattoo of his initials and shirt number alongside the Champions League trophy – in front of a brick wall.
He unveiled an image of his new ink with the caption: “Thank you @attooboutiquelarissa for the amazing work!”
Courtois' new tattoo. 👀🏆 pic.twitter.com/KqDwSMmyqH
— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) June 26, 2022
The tattoo artist also commented on the piece, saying: “For the ONE and only Champ! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to place this beautiful memo.”
Klopp praises ‘incredible’ Courtois
After the final, Reds boss Klopp claimed that “something is going wrong for the other team” when a goalkeeper wins the Man of the Match award.
“They scored a goal, we didn’t, that’s the easiest explanation in the world of football and it’s hard, harsh to get anyway, [but we] respect that of course,” he said in his post-match press conference.
“When the goalkeeper is Man of the Match then something is going wrong for the other team, so we had I think three really big chances where Courtois made incredible saves. I would have loved to have had a few more of this calibre.”
🗣️ "When the goalkeeper is man-of-the-match, then something is wrong…"#LFC boss Jurgen Klopp says the Champions League final defeat was 'harsh' on his side 🔴 pic.twitter.com/7IoVA7930Z
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 29, 2022
The German added: “I think Madrid had one shot on target, is that right? And that was a goal. But, look, I understand 100 per cent and I respect 100 per cent the reason for playing football and having these kinds of competitions is to win the game, and whatever you do – as long as it’s in the rules – it’s allowed and you can do it. It’s completely fine.
“We had to defend as well in moments, just that we blocked the shots or whatever. We played a good game, but when you lose 1-0 you have to admit it was then not good enough.”
Related links:
- Thibaut Courtois bodies Man Utd YouTuber after De Gea comparison
- Thibaut Courtois accuses English press of lack of respect after final heroics
- Ex-Real Madrid defender reveals he used to turn up to training drunk
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