Number one is Courtois: record records for an atypical Ballon d'Or contender

• Courtois's tears Defeated in Lisbon, hero in Paris: "I don't believe it"

• The Real Madrid clause has no logic or remedy

• The exhaustion of Liverpool Mané is not enough in another Salah tragedy

• The 14 moments of the Fourteenth "As this Champions in full, none"

• Tactical genius Repent and believe in Madrid

• History The other 13 European Cups

Thierry ,

father, still seemed amused by those fierce criticisms of 2019, after Ajax's 1-4 at the Bernabéu, or the last contempt of a famous English magazine, which had excluded

in its ranking of the 10 best goalkeepers in the world.

Instead,

, the mother, gave voice, with unquestionable lucidity, to what many spectators thought at the Stade de France: "When I saw the save against

I knew: 'No one is going to enter today'. It's something that Sometimes it happens to me with Thibaut. Of course we are very proud, because if he doesn't do what he did, Liverpool could have won 3-1."

In reality, Courtois stopped nine balls, which was a record in Champions League finals, at least since there is an official record.

In this way, he increased his balance to 61 interventions (compared to 41 of

, second classified) in a tournament that he has dominated from start to finish.

From September 15 in Milan, until the semi-final second leg, when he left a brutal intervention against

.

A touch with the studs on his left boot trained ad nauseam with

, Real Madrid's goalkeeping coach.

The figure of Llopis, who returned to Valdebebas this year after leaving in 2018, has been essential for the Belgian's consolidation as the best goalkeeper in the world.

A prodigy of elasticity and reflexes, combined with that feeling of permanent control, essential for defense.

Even his game with his feet, perhaps his main weakness for some time, has improved markedly.

Courtois no longer takes the ball off himself, but guides each shipment.

This was evident against City in Chamartín, with a handful of balls as the basis of the counterattacks.

The use of the right foot

Part of the success can be attributed to

, who at the end of 2021 joined his work team, with the aim of improving the accuracy of his right boot by a left-hander.

"His approach in this aspect is completely different. Now every time a rival comes under pressure, Thibaut's message is clear: 'You don't need to insist, you're not going to bother me,'" the coach commented this week in the pages of the Swiss newspaper

.

Despite conceding 14 goals, a relatively high figure for a champion team, Courtois's influence has been on display time and again in the knockout rounds.

The penalty saved on

and the way he faced

only marked the beginning of what was to come against

at Stamford Bridge or

,

or

at the Etihad.

And out of catalog, of course, what was seen against Liverpool.

From Yashin to Neuer

"I haven't remembered such a decisive goalkeeper in a final for a long time," commented

minutes after

lifted the Fourteenth.

Of course, in Madrid's imagination only Iker, with those miracles in Glasgow, presents a worthy opposition.

And this MVP award, which raises so many controversies, ends with total justice in Thibaut's gloves.

Until Saturday, only

(2001) ,

(2008) and

(2012) were on the list of winners.

As of today, his name will begin to appear on the list of favorites for the Ballon d'Or. After more than six decades, only

lifted the trophy in 1963, ahead of

and

.

then

finished second in 1973 to

, while

was third in 2001 and 2002, the same place as

in 2014.

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