"Best goalkeeper on the planet" Courtois helps Real overcome Liverpool to win Champions League
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois from Bilzen (Limburg) was the man of the match in the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool with 5 crucial saves, as Real took it 1-0 in Paris. The international press praised Courtois' top-notch performance using nothing but superlatives. English media gave the Belgian a score of 10 out of 10.
Thibaut Courtois had lost a Champions League final with Atlético Madrid in the past (against Real Madrid) and was determined to make up for this in the final against Liverpool. He denied the Reds' strikers Mo Salah and Sadio Mané several goals with crucial, difficult saves - the tall goalkeeper needed all his physical abilities to stop both strikers and got some help from the post in the first half to stop a Sadio Mané effort, though his top-notch save was impressive.
Never before in Belgian football history did a Belgian player have such a decisive impact in a Champions League final to take the trophy home.
Courtois is the best goalkeeper on the planet
Liverpool had 24 attempts on goal compared to Real Madrid's 4. The only reason why they didn't win it, was Thibaut Courtois. The Fleming from Bilzen in Limburg province got a score of 10 out of 10 from English football pundits in The Telegraph and The Guardian.
Spanish sports papers all put Courtois on their front page, saying that while Vinicius may have scored, "this will be Courtois' final forever", calling him "the indisputable hero" who made "several miracles".
The French "L'Equipe" gives Courtois 9 out of 10, but calls him "the best goalkeeper on the planet. (...) His save on Mané's attempt was a pure masterpiece".
Courtois made 9 saves in the game, in which Liverpool had the best chances, watch his 5 crucial interventions in the video below: