Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, 33, spoke in the mixed zone after his team qualified for the semi-finals of the Club World Cup, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain. He defended PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, 26, who was blamed for the serious accident that injured 22-year-old Jamal Musiala in the quarter-final against Bayern Munich.
“Blaming Donnarumma seems excessive to me”.
Blaming Donnarumma for Musiala’s injury seems excessive to me,” the Belgian defended in the mixed zone. Goalkeepers get the ball. The strikers don’t hold back either when they come at us. It’s a twist of fate. It’ll hurt him (Neuer) even more because he’s a team-mate, but Donnarumma isn’t to blame.”
The solidarity between goalkeepers was forcefully expressed following the injury to Jamal Musiala, victim of brutal contact with Gianluigi Donnarumma during PSG-Bayern. While 39-year-old Manuel Neuer was quick to point the finger at the Italian, Thibaut Courtois called the criticism “excessive”.
For the Belgian, the action was more an unfortunate play than an intentional foul. He points out that Donnarumma, who was deeply affected, never intended to injure his opponent, and that this type of incident is an inherent risk in top-level soccer.
This stance highlights the constant pressure on goalkeepers, who are often judged on the spot for actions where the line between commitment and accident is tenuous. Courtois also points out that the pain is double for Neuer, affected by the injury of a team-mate, but insists on the importance of not blaming Donnarumma for a twist of fate.
