Courtois began his career withGenk and made his senior debut in 2009, at age 16; he went on to establish himself as the club's starting goalkeeper and won theBelgian Pro League. In 2011, Courtois signed forChelsea in a transfer worth a reported £8 million (€9 million), but then joinedAtlético Madrid on loan. At Atlético, Courtois won aLa Liga title, theCopa del Rey, theEuropa League, and reached theUEFA Champions League final. He returned to Chelsea in 2014 and won twoPremier League titles and theEFL Cup. In 2018, Courtois signed for Real Madrid in a deal worth a reported £35 million (€38.8 million), becoming La Liga's most expensive goalkeeper, and where he has gone on to win three La Liga and twoUEFA Champions League titles.
Courtois made his senior international debut for Belgium in 2011 at age 19, becoming their youngest senior international goalkeeper. He has since earned over 100 caps, rankingeighth-highest for appearances, while appearing in five major tournaments. At the2018 FIFA World Cup, Courtois won theGolden Glove as the best goalkeeper as he helped Belgium finish third, their highest-ever finish at the competition.
Courtois was born in the city ofBree inFlanders, to aWalloon father and aFlemish mother.[10] He began his career with local side Bilzen V.V.,[11] as aleft back. Soon after, in 1999, he joinedRacing Genk at the age of seven, and it was there that he was converted into agoalkeeper.
Courtois progressed through theGenk youth system, whereKoen Casteels was initially regarded as the primary goalkeeper, but during an injury crisis Courtois, aged 16 years and 341 days, made his first team debut on 17 April 2009 againstGent. After turning down a transfer toTSG 1899 Hoffenheim of theBundesliga, Courtois was made first-choice goalkeeper for the 2010–11 season ahead of Casteels, whenLaszlo Koteles' registration ran into issues.[12]
He was a key figure in Genk's title victory in the2010–11 season in the Belgian Pro League. He received the Goalkeeper of the Year and Genk's Player of the Year award, only conceding 32 goals over the course of 40 league matches and keeping 14clean sheets for Genk.[13][14]
In July 2011, Courtois joinedPremier League clubChelsea for a reported €9 million, signing a five-year deal.[15][16] Within weeks of joining Chelsea, Courtois was sent on a season-long loan toAtlético Madrid.[17]
Courtois' loan to Atlético was extended to cover the2012–13 season.[27] His first game of the loan extension was against parent club Chelsea in the2012 UEFA Super Cup inMonaco, which ended in a 4–1 victory for Atlético Madrid. Later in the season Courtois set a new Atlético Madrid record of 820 minutes without conceding a goal at theEstadio Vicente Calderon,[28] ended by being beaten in a 1–0 loss toReal Sociedad.[29] Atlético reached the2013 Copa del Rey Final, and Courtois was namedman of the match[30] in a 2–1 victory against Real, the first time that Atlético had beaten their city rivals in 14 years.
For the2013–14 season, Courtois' loan to Atlético was extended by a further 12 months.[31]
When Atlético were drawn to play Chelsea in theChampions League semi-final, it was reported that a clause in Courtois' contract required Atlético to pay Chelsea €3 million per match if they selected him against his parent club, and that Atlético could not afford such a sum. UEFA made it clear that considerations of sporting integrity made such a clause "null, void and unenforceable", and confirmed that Atlético were free to select Courtois without making any such payment.[32][33]
By conceding the fewest goals in a substantial number of matches during the 2013–14 season, Courtois won theRicardo Zamora Trophy and made an important contribution to Atlético's 2013–14 La Liga title, their first since 1996. He was nominated for the La Liga Award for the best goalkeeper in the league, alongsideWilly Caballero ofMálaga andKeylor Navas ofLevante, which Navas eventually won.[34] Atlético, however, lost theUEFA Champions League final 4–1after extra time against neighbours Real Madrid on 24 May in Lisbon.[35]
In June 2014, Chelsea managerJosé Mourinho confirmed that Courtois would return to Chelsea for the upcoming season.[36] He was assigned the number 13 shirt, last worn byVictor Moses.[37] On 18 August, Mourinho announced that Courtois would start the Premier League opener againstBurnley in place ofPetr Čech. Although he conceded the first goal toScott Arfield atTurf Moor, Chelsea won 3–1.[38] Courtois kept his first Premier League clean sheet in his second game, making several crucial saves in a 2–0 home win overLeicester City.[39]
On 11 September 2014, Courtois signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea, keeping him at the club until 2019. Upon signing, Courtois said: "It’s really nice to have signed this new contract for five years."[40]
Courtois suffered a head injury in the first half of Chelsea's 2–0 home win overArsenal on 5 October due to a collision withAlexis Sánchez; he was substituted and then taken to hospital.[41] He was treated for a minor cut to his ear and released from hospital that night.[42]
He won his first trophy with Chelsea on 1 March 2015, as they defeatedTottenham Hotspur 2–0 in theLeague Cup final, with Čech instead playing in that match;[43] Chelsea also finished the season as league champions.
Courtois opened the season by playing in the2015 FA Community Shield on 2 August, a 1–0 loss to Arsenal.[44] Six days later, as the Premier League campaign opened with a home fixture againstSwansea City, he was given a straight red card for conceding a penalty with a foul onBafétimbi Gomis, who converted the penalty past replacementAsmir Begović for a 2–2 draw.[45] On his return on 23 August, Courtois saved a penalty fromJames Morrison in a 3–2 win atWest Bromwich Albion.[46] Courtois suffered a leg injury in training on 11 September which required surgery and meant that he was expected to miss the next three months of competition.[47]
On 16 April, he was sent off at home to Manchester City for conceding a penalty with a foul onFernandinho;Sergio Agüero converted it past Begović to seal a 3–0 win. He became the sixth Premier League goalkeeper to be sent off twice in the same season.[48]
On 17 August 2016, Courtois dismissed any transfer rumours and stated he would stay at Chelsea for many years to come.[49] Ten days later in the 3–0 home victory overBurnley, Courtois kept the first clean sheet of the season and broke a run of thirteen home Premier League games without a clean sheet since November 2015.[50] From 1 October to 20 November, Chelsea earned a run of six games without conceding a single goal; with Courtois playing in all six of them.[51][52] From 11 to 26 December, Courtois kept four clean sheets, as Chelsea were at the top of table in time for Christmas.[53]
In April 2017, Courtois was ruled out for the match against rivalsManchester United, as a result of suffering a reported ankle injury, which he sustained in training.[54] Chelsea would go on to lose the match 0–2.[55] On 12 May 2017, Courtois kept his third consecutive clean sheet in a 1–0 away win over West Bromwich Albion, in which Chelsea secured the title.[56] Courtois also played for Chelsea in theFA Cup final; which Chelsea lost 2–1 to Arsenal.[57]
Courtois kept a total of 16 clean sheets in the Premier League and won theGolden Glove.[58]
Following the 2017–18 season, Courtois mentioned he would want to live closer to his children, reigniting the rumours about a transfer to Real Madrid.[59][60] After a strong performance at the2018 FIFA World Cup, where he won the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper, Courtois expressed his interest in moving on.[61][62] Chelsea stated they would not let him go unless they were able to find a replacement for him.[63] Courtois responded by not showing up for training after the summer break, trying to force his exit from Chelsea.[64] On 8 August 2018, Real Madrid announced that they had signed Courtois on a six-year contract.[65] A day later, Chelsea confirmed the transfer for a fee believed to be £35 million.[66][67]
He made his debut for Madrid on 1 September 2018, where he started in a 4–1 win overLeganés.[68]
On 12 January 2020, Real Madrid beat Courtois' former clubAtlético Madrid in a penalty shootout to win their eleventhSupercopa de España title.[69] In the shootout,Saul saw his spot-kick hit the post beforeThomas' effort was saved by Courtois, givingRamos the chance to secure Real's 11th Spanish Super Cup triumph.
On 5 July 2020, Courtois kept his 17th clean sheet of the2019–20 La Liga season in a 1–0 away win over Athletic Bilbao, becoming the first Real Madrid goalkeeper to do so in a single season sinceFrancisco Buyo in1994–95.[70] He was the undisputed starter during the league season, as Real Madrid won the La Liga,[71] becoming the first player sinceJosé Luis Pérez-Payá in1954 to be crowned champion with both Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid.[72] He won the Zamora Trophy for the third time in his career, after conceding just 20 goals in 34 matches.[73]
On 16 August 2021, he signed a new four-year contract, running until 2026.[74] On 6 February 2022, he reached his 100th win with Real Madrid in 161 appearances, in a 1–0 victory overGranada.[75] Courtois won his second Spanish title with Real Madrid in the2021–22 La Liga season.
On 28 May 2022, Courtois was namedplayer of the match in the2022 UEFA Champions League final,[76] where he managed to make a total of nine saves,[77] which helped Real Madrid to beatLiverpool 1–0.[76] Courtois' nine saves are a record in the final sinceOpta began keeping records in2003–04. His 59 saves during the campaign also set a new Champions League single-season record since Opta began keeping records.[78]
On 10 August 2023, Real Madrid announced that Courtois was diagnosed with a tornanterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.[79][80] He was scheduled to undergo surgery in the coming days, and could be out for several months.[81]
On 19 March 2024, Courtois got injured again during a training session, sustaining a meniscus tear in his right knee. The recovery timeline for the meniscus tear had been estimated to be around two months, effectively ruling Courtois out for the majority of the2023–24 season.[82][83] Two months later, on 4 May, Courtois made his first appearance in the season, playing full-time in 3–0 home win againstCádiz.[84] Later on, on 1 June, he started in theChampions League final, producing decisive saves in a 2–0 victory overBorussia Dortmund.[85]
On 29 September 2024, Courtois was the subject of an incident duringReal Madrid's2024–25 derby againstAtlético Madrid when Atlético Madrid fans threw objects at Courtois shortly afterEder Militao put Madrid 1–0 up in the 64th minute. The game was eventually suspended for about 15–20 minutes.[86]
Courtois was first called up to theBelgium squad in October 2011[87][88] and made his debut the following month in a friendly 0–0 draw againstFrance at theStade de France, making him the youngest goalkeeper to play for the Belgian national team sinceRobert Hustin in 1905.[89][90][91]
On 13 May 2014, Courtois was named in the squad to go to the2014 FIFA World Cup.[93] At the tournament, he played all five games of the Belgian team, starting with a 2–1 win againstAlgeria inBelo Horizonte.[94] Courtois then managed to keep consecutive clean sheets in 1–0 wins againstRussia andSouth Korea as the Red Devils reached the quarter-finals, where Argentina eliminated Belgium withGonzalo Higuaín scoring the only goal of the match in the eighth minute.
Courtois played every minute during Belgium's first eight games of theirUEFA Euro 2016 qualification campaign, helping seal qualification for the first time in 16 years. However, he missed their last two games due to injury.[95]
Courtois and his side made it to the quarter-final, where they lost toWales despite taking an early lead. Afterwards, Courtois hinted that Belgium coachMarc Wilmots was at fault for the loss and also stated that the defeat was the "biggest disappointment" of his career.[96]
Courtois was selected to Belgium'sfinal 23-man squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup.[97] He was Belgium's first-choice goalkeeper throughout the tournament, and played a key role in Belgium's 2–1 win overBrazil in thequarter-final, which saw Belgium advance to thesemi-finals of the tournament for the first time since1986.[98][99] He posted two clean sheets in the group stage (againstPanama andEngland), allowed only one goal in Belgium's loss to eventual championFrance in the semi-final, and posted another clean sheet against England in the 3rd place game. Courtois made 27 saves in seven World Cup games, more than any other goalkeeper.[100] He was awarded theGolden Glove as best goalkeeper of the tournament.[101]
In November 2022, he was named in the final squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[103] On 1 December, he played his 100th match for Belgium in a goalless draw againstCroatia, becoming the first Belgian goalkeeper to achieve this feat.[104]
Courtois played in two of Belgium'squalifying matches for theUEFA Euro 2024. He suffered a tornanterior cruciate ligament in August 2023, ruling him out for numerous months. Despite recovering from his injury and helping Real Madrid win the UEFA Champions League, he was not selected for the Euros. An underlying conflict between Belgium managerDomenico Tedesco and Courtois wasn't resolved, after they clashed when Courtois was not named Belgium's captain during a Euro 2024 qualifier against Austria. Eventually, Courtois announced he would not be part of Belgium's squad for the 2024 tournament.[105] This was later confirmed by Tedesco in April 2024.[106]
On 22 August 2024, Courtois announced that he would not return to the national team for the time being, citing the conflict with Tedesco as the main reason.[107]
On 10 March 2025, Courtois returned to the national team under new managerRudi Garcia, following Tedesco's dismissal as manager in January.[108] Courtois's accepted return caused another one of Belgium's goalkeepersKoen Casteels to quit the national team in frustration.[109] Courtois made his first appearance for Belgium in almost two years on 20 March in aUEFA Nations League match againstUkraine, where they lost 3–1.[110]
Considered a highly promising prospect in his youth,[111] Courtois subsequently established himself as one of the best players in the world in his position.[112] Due to his wide range of skills, he has been described as a "complete goalkeeper", with few weaknesses.[111] A consistent keeper,[111] he possesses an excellent positional sense,[113][114] good mentality, composure, strength of character,[113][115][116] and an ability to communicate well with his defenders;[111] he also excels in one on one situations, due to his ability to time his runs effectively when rushing out of goal to face opponents,[111][114] and has even functioned as asweeper-keeper on occasion.[117] An excellent shot-stopper between the posts, he has also distinguished himself for his agility and quick reflexes, in spite of his size and imposing physique.[111][114][116][118][119] During the 2016–17 season, he credited his goalkeeping coach with Chelsea under managerAntonio Conte,Gianluca Spinelli, for helping him to improve his overall game and goalkeeping technique, in particular his foot-work and diving, which enabled him to be more explosive and get to ground more quickly.[120][121] Due to his height and reach, he excels in the air,[111][122] and is also known for his command of his area, as well as his excellent technique, anticipation, handling, and confidence when coming off his line to claim crosses.[123][124] Moreover, he is known for his ability to distribute the ball to his teammates with long throws.[125] In 2025, Amanda Langell ofSports Illustrated placed Courtois at number 13 in her list of the 15 greatest goalkeepers of all time.[6]
Courtois speaks both Dutch and French, as well as Spanish and English.[10] Thibaut's older sisterValérie Courtois is avolleyball player who plays as alibero for Stade Français Paris Saint Cloud andBelgium.[126] His parents were volleyball players, and he played the sport in his childhood but decided to focus on football when he was 12.[126]
On 26 May 2015, his Spanish girlfriend Marta Domínguez gave birth to their daughter.[127] The couple ended their relationship in April 2017 while Domínguez was pregnant with their son who was born a month later.[128]
He began a relationship with Israeli model Mishel Gerzig in July 2021.[129][130] They adopted a dog together a month later.[131] In June 2022, they got engaged.[131] They got married a year later.[132]
Inspired by Courtois' pose from a particular save in January 2013, a Colombian fan created a new widespread social media meme called 'Thibauting' to pay homage to the Belgian goalkeeper.[133] In November 2013, the word was included in a shortlist composed by leading Dutch dictionaryVan Dale to be polled to determine the best new sports/amusement word of the year in Belgium,[134] and ended second.[135] The term is based on and pronounced the same way as "Tebowing", and is also similar to the worldwide 'planking' meme which was popular in 2011.
In 2021, Courtois participated in the 2021 F1 Virtual Grand Prix championship as anAlfa Romeo driver.[137]
In May 2023, Courtois created his own Formula 4 team, TC Racing, with the intention of entering it into the Spanish F4 championship. The team is based south of Madrid and was given official approval to compete in Spanish F4 in November 2023. Courtois holds an administrative role within the team and hiredRoberto Merhi as sporting director and driver coach. The team made its official debut in May 2024.[138]
^Two appearances in Supercopa de España, one appearance in UEFA Super Cup
^Two appearances in Supercopa de España, one appearance in UEFA Super Cup, one appearance inFIFA Intercontinental Cup, six appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
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