Courtois on cloud nine with a trophy to cement his legacy

PARIS • If Real Madrid's Champions League final win in 2018 was remembered for a nightmare performance by Loris Karius in the Liverpool goal, the Spanish club's victory over the same opponents in Paris on Saturday was in no small part down to the heroics of Thibaut Courtois.

The Belgian showed the importance of having a top-class No. 1 as he produced a string of crucial saves to deny Jurgen Klopp's side and help the La Liga champions lift their 14th European Cup.

"When a goalkeeper is Man of the Match, you know something is going wrong for the other team," the German ruefully admitted.

Vinicius Jr got the only goal at the Stade de France just before the hour mark, but Real's victory would not have been possible without Courtois.

He was credited with nine saves, including a superb effort to turn behind a Mohamed Salah strike late on and, perhaps most importantly, a fine early stop to turn a Sadio Mane shot onto the post when Liverpool were in the ascendancy.

"The most important was the save from Mane. I really had to use my two metres to get there and turn fast to get the rebound," the 30-year-old said after collecting his award for Man of the Match.

Courtois has enjoyed remarkable success in his career ever since winning the Belgian league in 2011 with Genk. Domestic titles have followed at Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and Real and he also won the Europa League with Atletico.

His spell at Atletico included an agonising defeat by Ancelotti's Real in the 2014 Champions League final, while his Chelsea stint ended on a sour note in 2018 after he forced his way out by refusing to report for training, leading the Blues to accept Real's bid.

And now, one of the best stoppers in the game has all the major European trophies to his name.

Referencing Italy legend Gianluigi Buffon, who never won the Champions League, the 2m Courtois expressed his delight at finally getting his hands on the biggest prize at club level.

"It is one of the nicest feelings in my life along with the birth of my children," he said.

"Buffon is maybe the greatest goalkeeper in history but he never won the Champions League. I didn't want that to happen to me."

Courtois also hit back at the English press and fans, insisting it was time they gave him more respect.

"I needed to win a final for my career, to put some respect on my name," he said. "There was a magazine in England that didn't put me in the top 10 goalkeepers in the world. That is a lack of respect.

"I am not saying they have to put me No. 1 but not to put me in the top 10 is strange.

"I twice won the Premier League in England with Chelsea and I don't think I ever get recognised.

"In my first season in Madrid, a lot of people laughed at me, but now here I am as a winner and it's a nice feeling."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS