Thibaut Courtois: Coming Back From Injury

Thibaut Courtois is undoubtedly one of the best goalkeepers in the modern soccer scene. At a staggering six feet and seven inches, the 32-year-old Belgian has been consistently world-class, playing for top teams like Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, and Real Madrid. As the Spanish league's most expensive keeper and with two prestigious Champions League trophies under his belt, Courtois maintains his high caliber through rigorous training at his current club, Real Madrid. However, two devastating injuries have left the star keeper out of commission for the majority of the 2023–2024 season. What exactly happened to Courtois, what did his road to recovery look like, and what are the most important lessons that we can take away from it?

Understanding What Happened:

Since 2018, Courtois has played for Real Madrid, one of the most prestigious and decorated teams in soccer history. As such, Courtois undergoes intense training, which puts huge amounts of strain on his muscles and ligaments. He suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear, also known as an ACL tear, on his left knee. This occurred just two days prior to Real Madrid's first match of the season.

ACL tears are one of the most devastating injuries in soccer. Although the season had only just begun, it was unlikely that Courtois would recover in time to play at all this season. However, after several surgeries and months of injury rehabilitation, Courtois was looking to be back by early March. Unfortunately, right before his comeback, Courtois suffered another injury: this time, a ruptured internal meniscus in his right knee– also likely attributed to overworking.

This was, of course, another tremendous blow to the keeper. After undergoing more surgeries and restarting his road to recovery, though, Courtois was able to fully recover from both knee injuries on May 4th, 2024, where his stellar performance kept Real Madrid from conceding any goals against Cádiz CF. The Belgian was also able to play and win the Champions League final against Germany's Borussia Dortmund, earning him his second of Europe's most coveted trophy.

A Deeper Dive:

Let's take a closer look at the injuries that kept Courtois off the playing field for so long. His first one was an ACL tear: one of the more common knee injuries, yet still painfully debilitating. The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the two cruciate ligaments that give the knee its forward and backward motion. This ligament runs diagonally in the middle of the knee and gives it rotational stability. The ACL is much weaker than its counterpart, the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), which is why it is much more prone to injury. Treatment almost always requires surgery, especially if the tear is complete and not partial. It will usually take many months to return to pre-injury fitness.

Courtois's other injury was a ruptured internal meniscus. The menisci, distinguished by their inner or outer locations, are cartilage discs that make direct contact with the leg bones and connect at the knee: the tibia and the femur. Tearing either menisci usually results in severe pain and swelling, which is one way it differs from an ACL tear. Although only high degree meniscus tears require surgery, an assortment of treatments, including extensive physiotherapy, tons of rest, and sometimes even electrotherapy, may be necessary for a full recovery.

Takeaways:

It is clear from Thibaut Courtois's story that top athletes undergo an intense and rigorous training regimen in order to be the best in the world. However, overtraining can have disastrous consequences and even the capacity of rendering players unable to play for months on end— in Courtois's case, 268 days! His experience emphasizes the importance of making sure progressive overload does not give way to overtraining; in other words, exercise should not interfere with the body's ability to recover. Resting is just as important as training for all athletes, no matter the caliber.

Conclusion:

This past season has been one of heartbreak and victory for Thibaut Courtois. The professional world of soccer is anything but easy, but the keeper's indomitable resilience is a true testament to the winner's mentality. His story is a well-needed reminder to all the power of perseverance, the dangers of overtraining, and the intricacies of a powerful yet delicate joint. Now that this season has come to an end, it will be exciting to see what Courtois achieves in August.

Sources:

Cortegana, Mario. “Prime to Produce Documentary about Courtois’ Injury Recovery.” The New York Times, The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/athletic/5477899/2024/05/21/thibaut-courtois-injury-documentary/. Accessed 23 June 2024.

Kirkland, Alex, and Rodrigo Faez. “Real Madrid Goalkeeper Courtois Suffers Fresh Knee Injury.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/39765636/real-madrid-goalkeeper-courtois-suffers-fresh-knee-injury. Accessed 23 June 2024.

“Meniscus Rupture.” STIWELL, stiwell.medel.com/orthopaedics/meniscus-rupture. Accessed 23 June 2024.

Person. Courtois on His Return: “I’m Happy to Feel like a Goalkeeper Again,” Real Madrid, 4 May 2024, www.realmadrid.com/en-US/news/football/first-team/latest-news/el-regreso-de-courtois-04-05-2024. Accessed 23 June 2024.

Staff, 90min. “The 25 Best Goalkeepers in World Football - Ranked.” 90min.Com, 90min.com, 9 May 2024, www.90min.com/posts/best-goalkeepers-world-football-ranked. Accessed 23 June 2024.