Courtois set to reach a landmark among Real Madrid’s goalkeeping icons

Thibaut Courtois is poised to move into third place among Real Madrid’s most capped goalkeepers when he returns to the side against Racing Santander on Sunday.

The Belgium international is expected to resume his position between the posts after missing the Clasico because of illness. His appearance in Santander will take his total for Real Madrid to 346 matches, level with club legend Miguel Angel.

Only Paco Buyo, with 454 appearances, and record-holder Iker Casillas, who played 725 times for the club, will remain ahead of him in the rankings.

Courtois has been Real Madrid’s first-choice goalkeeper since joining the club in 2018 and, according to Spanish newspaper Marca, his eight years at the Bernabeu have established him among the finest goalkeepers in the club’s history.

Breaking Casillas’ record, however, appears unlikely for the 34-year-old. Although Courtois is expected to extend his contract with Real Madrid until at least 2028, his age works against him.

Casillas began his career much younger and spent 16 seasons as Real Madrid’s regular goalkeeper. Even though his final seasons were disrupted, that longevity enabled him to set a record which appears difficult to match, at least in the foreseeable future.

Courtois’ numbers remain impressive given that he has been at the club for only eight years. His total could have been even higher had he not suffered a cruciate ligament injury during preparations for the 2023-24 season.

That injury kept him out of 50 matches, but he returned in time to start for Real Madrid in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. His performance offered further evidence of his standing as one of the world’s best goalkeepers, although it did not match the extraordinary display he produced in the 2022 final against Liverpool.

The two Champions League titles Courtois has won with Real Madrid also put him close to Casillas, who claimed the competition three times, in terms of major European honours.

His wider trophy collection includes four La Liga titles, two Premier League titles, two cups, one FA Cup and three Spanish Super Cups, along with further honours. Most of those successes came with Real Madrid, while he also won trophies with Atletico Madrid and Chelsea, as well as the Belgian league with Genk in the 2010-11 season.

The past two seasons have brought considerable collective disappointment for Courtois. Individually, he has had to manage seven injuries, including a meniscus tear that ruled him out for eight matches.

Real Madrid have nevertheless remained convinced of his value and want to prolong his stay. Officials at Valdebebas have summed up their stance on his future by saying: “He will stay until he decides to leave.”

Courtois now has the chance to add another milestone to his career when Real Madrid play Racing Santander in La Liga on 1 November 2026. Barcelona face Deportivo Alaves in the competition on 31 October 2026.