What did Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois say about his anterior cruciate ligament injury?

Real Madrid are already cursing their luck in the 2023/24 season and it hasn’t even officially kicked off for them yet. As had been feared, summer signing Arda Güler will have undergo minor surgery on his knee, which is set to keep him on the sidelines for around seven weeks. And Carlo Ancelotti has now been rocked by the news that goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has suffered a serious injury in training.

How long will Courtois be out?

It was confirmed on Thursday that the Belgian had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will also go under the knife in the coming days. The normal timescale for a recovery from such an injury is generally anything between six and nine months, which means Courtois will miss the vast majority of the campaign.

The 31-year-old has played a huge role in Los Blancos’ recent success, most notably in the 2022 Champions League final against Liverpool, in which he made nine saves. With Andriy Lunin considered very much a back-up, Ancelotti is now frantically scrambling to solve a problem he didn’t think he’d have, with Manchester United’s David De Gea having reportedly been approached just hours after the news of Courtois’ injury had broken.

Courtois’ social media post

The player himself took to social media on Thursday afternoon, posting a photo of him in a position he may have to get used to for a little while, along with the following message:

“You never expect to go through something like this but now it’s time to accept it, and do everything possible to overcome it and come back even stronger. Thanks to everyone for sending their energy, affection and encouragement. I assure you it all motivates me to recover as quickly as possible”.

Goalkeeper’s trophy-laden spell at Real Madrid

Since joining Real Madrid from Chelsea in 2018, Courtois has made 230 appearances for the club and won eight trophies, including two LaLiga titles and one Champions League.