Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois shared his thoughts on playing against Cristiano Ronaldo in the past during the 2024 Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai on December 27. The star Belgian shot-stopper received the Player Career Award at the 15th edition of the annual ceremony.
Ronaldo and Courtois joined CNN Sport’s Amanda Davies at the Globe Soccer Awards ceremony over a discussion on current football events. The 32-year-old goalkeeper spoke about his journey of becoming one of the best footballers in the world.
Thibaut Courtois spoke about how he received an offer from Chelsea in 2011 after he started his senior career with his boyhood club Genk in Belgium. He was on loan to Atlético Madrid from 2011 to 2014 before joining Los Blancos in 2018.
While speaking at the panel of the Dubai International Sports Conference 2024, the goalkeeper mentioned his experience of playing against Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo. He said (via @TimelineCR7 on X):
"I tried to stop this guy, but he scored too many goals against me."
While both Ronaldo and Courtois have been a part of the squad at Santiago Bernabéu, they have never shared the pitch as the Portuguese icon parted ways with the club in 2018.
The duo has played against each other in 10 matches for their respective club and country, with the Belgian coming out on top three times while losing six.
Cristiano Ronaldo hailed one of his former clubs Real Madrid at the 2024 Globe Soccer Awards. Los Blancos have been on the receiving end of criticism for their form amid injuries this season.
Ronaldo, however, disagreed with the critics and expressed confidence in Real's chances this season. Speaking at the panel of the annual ceremony, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner stated (via CNN Sports):
"I don’t understand how they say this kind of thing,” he said. “If you have to bet to win the Champions League again, I will bet on Real Madrid because you never know what’s going to happen."
"And (Real Madrid’s stadium, the Santiago) Bernabéu at that hour is different. All the teams, they’re scared when they play there. This is a fact, history says that. Never consider Real Madrid dead because they’re always back," added the 39-year-old star forward.
Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Santiago Bernabéu from Manchester United in 2009. He is the Spanish club's all-time leading scorer with 450 goals and provided 131 assists in 438 appearances across competitions during his nine-season tenure there.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the Best Middle Eastern Player award at the 2024 Globe Soccer Awards along with receiving the honorary award for Top Scorer of All Time with 916 career goals.