After wearing the jersey of Genk, Chelsea and Atlético de Madrid, Thibaut Courtois landed at Real Madrid in the summer of 2018 and never left. Indisputable holder after having been in competition for a time with Keylor Navas, the Belgian giant is a pillar of the team now coached by Xabi Alonso. But careers always have an end, Real Madrid have started to think about the identity of their future replacement.
Bad news for Andriy Lunin, he is not the first choice to move up and become number one. The Ukrainian international would at best remain in his understudy position. According to AS, the Madrid management would rather have their eyes focused on their training center, and more precisely on a certain Fran Gonzalez, a twenty-year-old goalkeeper who plays with the young Madrid players.
The media recalled that the goalkeeper who has passed through all the youth sections of Real since the U18s has just achieved great performances with the Spain U20s during the last World Cup where La Roja reached the quarter-finals. And Fran Gonzalez is also a protégé of Luis Llopis, in charge of the “Casa Blanca” goalkeepers.
Thibaut Courtois towards an extension?
Physically speaking, the young Spaniard is a sort of clone of Thibaut Courtois since he measures 1m99 while the Belgian peaks at 2m. In the meantime, the current holder of the position continues to deliver high-level performances and at thirty-three years old, he does not yet seem ready to give way to another. Under contract until 2027, he could also extend for an additional year, as is customary in Madrid for players over the age of thirty.
Thibaut Courtois and Fran Gonzalez have already had the opportunity to cross paths. For the moment, everyone has their own specific role in their own section. In any case, Real Madrid seems to have what it takes for its next goalkeeper.
