Thibaut Courtois is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, a status he continues to prove week after week with Real Madrid. He was once a key figure for Atletico Madrid, but his legacy with the club has been clouded by later controversies, which have now led to a significant decision.
Courtois’ name had been displayed in the surroundings of Metropolitano Stadium alongside those of other Atletico Madrid legends, in recognition of his years as the club’s goalkeeper. However, the Spanish club announced a change in its criteria for granting such honors, and Thibaut was left out under the new guidelines.
Until now, simply having played 100 matches for Los Colchoneros was enough to receive that distinction. That requirement has now been eliminated, and the new commemorative plaques will instead be chosen by club members through a voting process. The final selection will come from a shortlist of 200 candidates chosen by the club. Courtois is not among them, meaning he will definitively lose his place of honor.
The voting system will consist of four categories of players, divided by different eras. In each category, members will select five players and assign them points ranging from five to one. Once voting is complete, the total points for each player will determine the final honorees.
Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid interacts with Diego Simeone, head coach of Atletico de Madrid, in 2024.
Atletico Madrid stated that the criteria used to preselect players were based on “various factors such as qualitative merit, red-and-white values, recognition and legacy across generations, historic moments, and behavior toward our club and our supporters.” That final factor appears to be decisive in Courtois’ exclusion.
see also
Messi’s Argentina teammate could leave Premier League: Barcelona and Atletico Madrid reportedly battle for him
What happened between Courtois and Atletico Madrid?
In 2011, Thibaut Courtois joined Atletico Madrid from Belgian club Genk and quickly established himself as the team’s starting goalkeeper. Over three seasons, he made 154 appearances and delivered outstanding performances that helped the club win four trophies, including the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League and the 2013–14 La Liga title.
see also
La Liga 2025 TV Schedule USA and Streaming Links
After leaving for Chelsea, the goalkeeper returned to Spain in 2018 to join Atletico Madrid’s city rivals, Real Madrid. That move angered Los Colchoneros supporters, who from that point adopted a hostile attitude toward Courtois. This included vandalism of his commemorative plaque, chants telling him to “die,” and banners that read “Thibu, rat.”
The final breaking point in Courtois’ relationship with Atletico Madrid came this year following the controversial penalty of Julian Alvarez that was ruled out for an alleged double touch. In response to complaints from Los Colchoneros, the goalkeeper said days later: “I’m tired of this victim mentality, of always crying about things like this.” That statement marked the point of no return and ultimately led to the decision to remove his honor.
Why can’t Griezmann be honored by Atletico Madrid?
The new system for awarding honors at Atletico Madrid not only eliminates the 100-match benchmark as a selection criterion, but also introduces another restriction: players who are currently active with the club cannot be included.
As a result, Antoine Griezmann is excluded from the vote despite being one of the most important players in the modern history of Atletico Madrid. Like other stars such as Koke and Jan Oblak, he will have to wait until he leaves the club or retires before becoming eligible.
