Courtois offers blunt verdict on Rodri’s move to Barcelona

Thibaut Courtois has described Rodri’s decision to join Barcelona rather than Real Madrid as “unfortunate for him” after Real Madrid’s hard-fought 2-1 victory over Espanyol in the second round of La Liga.

The Belgium goalkeeper spoke candidly in the mixed zone following Saturday’s match, which Real Madrid won with a decisive goal from substitute Carlos Espi. Courtois joked that the young forward had earned the nickname “Joselu Junior”, in reference to former Real Madrid striker Joselu and his reputation for making a decisive impact from the bench.

Courtois was also asked about Rodri, whose future had appeared likely to take him to Real Madrid before he opted to move to their traditional rivals Barcelona.

“Every player chooses where he wants to be. If he (Rodri) did not want to be with us, that is unfortunate for him. In the end, he is a great player, but he made his choice, and that is the end of it,” Courtois said in comments reported by Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo.

Rodri and Joao Cancelo had been staying at the same hotel as Real Madrid’s travelling party, prompting questions about the coincidence. Courtois played down the significance of their presence.

“They were in our hotel? Well, the hotel is big, there will be a lot of people,” he said.

The goalkeeper reserved particular praise for Espi, who came on in the 80th minute before scoring the goal that settled the contest. Courtois said the substitute had already shown his physical strength during training sessions involving Real Madrid’s established defenders.

“He is a beast. Sometimes I see him getting into battles with Konate and Rudiger during training. It is really impressive, and we are very happy for him,” Courtois said.

“The impact of a player coming off the bench can be just as strong as the impact of the players who start the match.”

Courtois then added, with a smile: “I call him Joselu Junior,” drawing a comparison with Joselu, who became known for his important contributions after being introduced as a substitute during his time at Real Madrid.

The result against Espanyol gave Real Madrid a narrow win in the second round of La Liga, with Espi’s late intervention proving decisive after a difficult match. Courtois’ comments ensured that attention also remained on Rodri’s choice to join Barcelona, despite the expectation that he could instead have moved to the Santiago Bernabeu.

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