Thibaut Courtois reveals how rival blocked dream Man United transfer

Thibaut Courtois has revealed how David de Gea got in the way of his dream move to Manchester United.

The Belgian has been one of the best goalkeepers in the world for well over a decade now, first making a name for himself with Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, before hitting new heights at Real Madrid.

Trophies have been a regular theme in Courtois’ career, winning league titles with every team he has played for after starting out with Belgian Pro League side Genk.

With two Champions League triumphs with Los Blancos, as well as two Premier League winners’ medals from his time at the Blues, it’s fair to say the 32-year-old has lived out plenty of his dreams.

But there is one childhood ambition which has eluded Courtois in his playing days.

The stopper has revealed he grew up a Man United fan, and had been incredibly keen on a move to Old Trafford in the summer of 2011, when he ultimately joined Chelsea from Genk in an £8million deal.

Courtois explained that this was because the Red Devils opted to sign David de Gea from Atletico Madrid instead, dashing his dreams.

Appearing on The Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, he admitted he had followed United as they boasted his idol, legendary goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

He said: “I loved Edwin van der Sar and [Iker] Casillas. So Casillas was because of his young age when he came into the goal at Madrid. At my age, I think I was like 12 or 11 at that time.

“Like I was just starting being goalkeeper. It really also blew my mind. Like: ‘Wow, he’s in Real Madrid’. And I always followed those games.

“And then I followed always Manchester United for Edwin.”

This prompted host Rio Ferdinand to ask why Courtois never joined the Red Devils, to which he replied: “Well, they signed David [de Gea], you know. So that helped me shape my path in a different way.”

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Though de Gea’s arrival at Old Trafford ultimately saw the Belgian miss out on his dream move, it certainly played a pivotal role in the direction of his career.

With Atletico now in need of a goalkeeper, this prompted them to sign Courtois on loan within weeks of him joining Chelsea.

He said of the career crossroads: “That moment when I was at Genk starting to do something decent.

“Obviously, there was some interest of Tottenham at that moment. There was some interest of Chelsea, some other teams from other countries. And obviously Chelsea at that moment had the best project for me on the long term.

“And basically because David was going to Manchester, it opened the door for me to go on loan to Atletico. And basically, I think that transfer for me made me into the goalkeeper I am today.”

It’s fair to say Courtois has not looked back after making the move to the Spanish capital.

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The former Belgium international spent three years on loan at Atletico, lifting the LaLiga title in 2014 and carving out a reputation as one of the world’s top shot stoppers.

After this he returned to Stamford Bridge to guide Chelsea to Premier League glory in 2015 and 2017, before securing a £35m move to Real Madrid in 2018.

Since his move back to Spain, Courtois has tasted league glory a further three times, as well as two Champions League titles.

Menawhile, de Gea’s move to United at his expense would also prove to be a success.

The Spaniard lifted the Premier League title in his second year at Old Trafford, before going on to spend 12 years at the club, before joining Serie A side Fiorentina after being released in 2023.