Thibaut Courtois backs Kylian Mbappe for Ballon d’Or and criticises Manchester City

Thibaut Courtois has backed Real Madrid team-mate Kylian Mbappe to win the Ballon d’Or, while saying Manchester City’s conduct had “spoiled the competition”.

The Real Madrid goalkeeper is staying at the club’s Valdebebas training ground during the current international break after agreeing to take time away from Belgium duty following the World Cup. Courtois has chosen to focus on his club commitments.

Speaking to Spanish radio station Onda Cero, the 33-year-old also discussed refereeing decisions, the Negreira case involving Barcelona and the quality of several Ballon d’Or contenders.

Courtois rejected suggestions that refereeing was being manipulated, but said Real Madrid had suffered from inconsistent decisions.

“I don’t think there is any manipulation or anything like that; I am not that suspicious,” he said. “There are mistakes which are given in other stadiums, but they are not given in our favour. On the contrary, they are given against us.”

He added: “There are things that make you say… I don’t understand. They come to explain things to us, and then the following week they do exactly the opposite.”

On the Negreira case, in which Barcelona is accused, Courtois said: “Everyone is waiting for the verdict in the Negreira case. It is a serious matter.”

The Belgium international selected Mbappe as his choice for the Ballon d’Or, pointing to the forward’s pace and goals.

“It has to go to Mbappe; everyone is amazed by his speed and his goals,” Courtois said. “The Ballon d’Or should be awarded to the best player, not to the player who has won the most trophies. Following that logic, Carvajal should have won it two years ago.”

Courtois also praised Barcelona forward Raphinha ahead of the next Clasico, although he suggested the Brazilian does not always receive the recognition his performances merit.

“I really admire Raphinha. He is a very important player for his team and scores a lot of goals. Perhaps he does not receive the recognition he deserves,” he said. “We have to stop him during the Clasico.”

Asked about Manchester City’s conviction, Courtois said the club’s actions had affected the balance of competition.

“What City ultimately did was spoil the competition,” he said. “Perhaps they would not have been able to sign some of the players they had…”

Courtois also spoke about his family and revealed that his son is a forward in Real Madrid’s youth system.

“My son plays for Real Madrid’s youth team and he is a striker,” he said. “He is very similar to Mbappe. He also likes playing as a goalkeeper, but I would rather he did not do that to avoid comparisons.”

The goalkeeper said parents should be careful not to place excessive expectations on young players.

“There are fathers who think their son is the new Cristiano and put a lot of pressure on him,” he said. “Some children end up leaving football at 16. Boys should enjoy their time on the pitch.”