Having made his debut for Real Madrid against Leganes last weekend, Thibaut Courtois is really starting to settle into life at the club and is already getting along well with his teammates.
He has admitted that some of his new colleagues have even been teasing him about the 2014 Champions League final which he lost to Real Madrid in Lisbon when he was the goalkeeper for Atletico.
“Sometimes they make a joke about the Champions League final I lost to them with Atletico,” he said in the Belgian press.
“They are a very competitive group and they want to keep winning.
“The first days at the club were a bit all over the place, from the medical to the official presentation.
“At that time you realise how big the club is.
“I’m especially happy to be able to see my children every day, even if my 16-month-old son is too small to understand it all.”
Discussing the fact that he had to sit out three matches before making his debut, Courtois believed this was logical.
“I arrived late to pre-season, so it’s normal,” he said.
“Plus, I had a pain in my knee after the second training session.
“So it made sense that I had to train well for a few weeks first.
“The coach has managed things excellently.
“I’m happy that I was allowed to play last weekend.”
The focus for the goalkeeper this weekend is the Belgian national team and he explained that there’s a desire to avoid a World Cup hangover, after finishing third in Russia.
“We take very match seriously, even ones against Scotland and Iceland,” he said.
He also discussed his nomination for FIFA’s best goalkeeper of the year award and dismissed the suggestion that his transfer to Real Madrid helped him.
“I don’t think that’s the case,” he said.
“We’ll see if I win it, I hope so.”
Courtois and Belgian take on Scotland this Friday and Iceland next Tuesday.