Thibaut Courtois: Real Madrid 'keeper's MotM showing v Liverpool breaks CL record

After a stunning Man of the Match outing that inspired Real Madrid to victory over Liverpool in Saturday’s Champions League final, Thibaut Courtois took a shot at his critics, demanding they “put more respect” on his name.

The former Chelsea shot-stopper’s anger was particularly aimed at English fans and media, who he clearly felt had given him a rough ride during his time at Stamford Bridge.

There were no holes to be poked in the Belgian’s exceptional performance at the Stade de France, however, as former England internationals Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen and Rio Ferdinand were full of praise for the ‘keeper in their post-match analysis for BT Sport.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds peppered the Real goal with shots throughout the 90 minutes. Top scorer Mohamed Salah had nine efforts for the Merseyside giants alone.

On a tension-filled night in Paris, Courtois managed to keep a cool head for the duration, rewriting the competition’s record books in the process.

9 – Thibaut Courtois' nine saves tonight is the most on record (since 2003-04) of any keeper in a single #UCLfinal. Impenetrable. #LIVRMA pic.twitter.com/zIKhl5zaXT

According to the stats gurus over at Opta, the Los Blancos number one made nine saves on the night – the most in any Champions League final since records began (in 2003/04).

Federico Valverde might have been the man to bag the decisive goal for Real. Without Courtois and his string of crucial interventions, though, things could have ended very differently for the La Liga champions.

Among his best work was a fingertip save to deny Sadio Mane in the first half, as well as a couple of sensational stops to thwart Salah late in the match. You can check out full highlights of his Parisian masterclass below.

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