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Belgium coach Roberto Martinez has talked to El Español in an interview, where he praises Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for his excellent performances during the 2019-2020 season.
Courtois started the season with some mistakes and doubts but he bounced back and became a key player for Real Madrid and one of the main reasons why the team were in a position to compete for titles.
“I think that what was happening on the field never affected Thibaut too much. He was aware of the fact that he wanted to improve his performances so that he could be at his elite level. I’m so proud of him, seeing Thibaut work hard to reach that kind of level means that he’s perfectly ready to defend Real Madrid’s goal,” said Martinez.
The praise doesn’t stop there. The Spanish coach said that Courtois proved to be a mature player after his mistakes early on.
“It would’ve been easy for him to give up or blame other people. Thibaut did the opposite and showed great maturity to the point where he became a crucial player for Real Madrid. I’m sure that he can write history for the club, there are no goalkeeper like him in modern football. Having seen him grow this much from a human perspective and perform the way he has performed makes me very proud,” added Martinez.
He was also asked about Eden Hazard, who is recovering from the surgery he had to repair his fractured foot.
“We’re in touch. I always have information through the medical services and everything has gone well. He likes to be home, he’s a great dad so the lockdown hasn’t been a problem for him. Real Madrid’s doctors have been very careful with him and gave him an individual routine to rehab, that’s the good thing. He also had this extra time to recover, something you usually don’t have because medical services work around the clock when there are matches to be played,” explained the coach.
There’s a chance Hazard plays for Real Madrid if La Liga don’t cancel the remainder of the 2019-2020 season. A decision on the remaining schedule should be made shortly.