Thibaut Courtois backs Vinicius Junior ahead of El Clasico and praises Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Thibaut Courtois has defended Real Madrid team-mate Vinicius Junior, saying only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have consistently maintained their best level throughout their careers.

The Real Madrid goalkeeper was speaking after his side’s 4-1 victory over Leipzig in the league phase of the Champions League. He also discussed Sunday’s El Clasico against Barcelona, Real Madrid’s away form and his views on refereeing and video assistant referees.

“I think he is looking for the best version of himself, and I am sure he will reach it with the support of the team and the fans,” Courtois told reporters, in comments reported by Marca. “He had a good game and I saw him creating danger with his movement, but things do not always go as you want.”

Courtois added: “The player who produces his best level every season – I only know two, Cristiano and Messi. I saw them deliver their best in most years. Even so, both were criticised at different times, despite being two of the greatest players in football history.

“That is football. Vinicius has been playing for about nine years and appears in most matches, so we have to help him reach his best level. He is also the first person who wants to be happy and perform at his best.”

On the win over Leipzig before the trip to Barcelona, Courtois said Real Madrid had built confidence through a series of strong performances and important victories, including their comeback against Roma.

“We know the match will be difficult, but if we want to reduce the gap in La Liga, we have to go there to win,” he said.

Courtois rejected the idea that Barcelona would start as favourites, saying the outcome could not be known before kick-off. Although Barcelona have been performing well in La Liga and Real Madrid will be away from home, he believes his side can win.

“For me, El Clasico is always 50-50, even when one team is in better form than the other,” he said.

Real Madrid have struggled more away from home this season, including matches in Spain, Rome and Elche, as well as their two defeats by Real Betis. Courtois said they deserved more against Betis despite losing and must improve on the road, although he felt their performances had improved since the international break.

“We have four away matches. If we do not want to lose touch in the title race, we have to get the results we need,” he said.

Courtois said he trusted referees but hoped mistakes would not consistently favour one side. He also felt VAR was being used too frequently in La Liga, despite being introduced in 2018 to deal with clear and obvious errors.

Real Madrid’s win moved them to nine points and fourth place, while Leipzig remained on three points in 29th. Bernardo Silva, Kylian Mbappe, Arda Guler and Yan Diomande scored for Real Madrid, with Tediama Gomez replying for Leipzig.

At 19 years and 341 days, Diomande became Real Madrid’s youngest substitute to score and assist in a Champions League match. The previous record belonged to Guti, who achieved the feat against Molde in September 1999, aged 22 years and 325 days. Diomande is also the fourth-youngest player in Champions League history to score and assist in the same match for any club.