Thibaut Courtois was not destined to be a footballer; he was born into a volleyball family. Born in the city of Bree in Flanders, Thibaut was raised by a Walloon father and a Flemish mother, both of whom were volleyball players. Despite the family tradition, Thibaut chose a different path, becoming a goalkeeper. His older sister, Valérie Courtois, followed the family tradition and plays as a libero for Stade Français Paris Saint Cloud and the Belgian national team.
As a young boy, Thibaut was known for his clumsiness and occasional absent-mindedness. He once admitted that overthinking during a gymnastics forward roll led him to accidentally take out his teacher. “I’ve never been a hero at gymnastics,” he confessed.
Throughout his childhood, Thibaut experienced numerous injuries: a broken ankle bone, a jammed finger, a handlebar injury to the groin, and a gaping head wound from a collision with a chair. His life was far from dull.
Courtois began his football career with the local side Bilzen V.V., initially playing as a left-back. His first coach, Bart Theunissen, recalls him as a robust little kid, a quiet but no-nonsense person with good reflexes, even before he started playing as a goalkeeper.
Clumsy Volleyball Kid Turned Goalie GOAT: Life of Thibaut Courtois
We present the full story of Thibaut Courtois, the football stopper best known by the nickname “The Octopus.”
Thibaut Courtois’ childhood story, along with his biography, offers a complete account of notable events from his early years to the moment he made a name for himself. This is the story of a goalkeeper who silenced his critics with his heroic performance in the 2022 Champions League Final.
Our analysis of Thibaut Courtois’ biography covers his life before fame, his family background, his relationships, and many lesser-known facts about him off the pitch. While everyone knows about his goalkeeping prowess for both club and country, not many soccer fans have delved into the intriguing details of his full biography. Without further ado, let’s begin.
Thibaut Courtois Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:
For Biography starters, Thibaut Nicolas Marc Courtois was born on the 11th day of May 1992 in Bree, Belgium. He was born to his Flemish mother, Gitte Courtois and a Walloon father, Thierry Courtois.
This is Thibaut Courtois as a Kid.
Courtois was not born to be a footballer; he was born to be a volleyball player. As a young boy, he was clumsy and, at times, absent-minded.
He once admitted that he was thinking “too much” during a forward roll at gymnastics and ended up completely taking out his teacher. “I’ve never been a hero at gymnastics,” he said.
Accidents were a common theme during his childhood. More than once, his mother, Gitte Lambrechts, who was a physiotherapist, had to drive him to the hospital.
Thibaut Courtois had his fair share of bumps and bruises growing up—he once had a broken ankle, a jammed finger, a painful handlebar injury to the groin, and even a gaping head wound from colliding with a chair. Life was never boring for the young athlete.
Born on May 11, 1992, at Maas en Kempen Hospital in Bree, Belgium, Courtois was the son of Lambrechts and Thierry Courtois, both semi-professional volleyball players. They let their son explore various sports, including volleyball, but it didn’t take long for Thibaut to make up his mind. At just five years old, he told his parents he wanted to pursue football instead.
Thibaut Courtois Biography – Career in Summary:
In Belgium, kids can’t officially join a football club until they turn six. However, Thibaut Courtois was so persistent, with plenty of crying and nagging, that the president of a local club, Bilzen, made an exception and let him join their youth team a bit early.
Thibaut Courtois Early Years in Football.
Courtois began his career with local side Bilzen V.V., not as a goalkeeper, but as a left-back. Although 18 months younger than his teammates, Courtois looked strong and powerful.
“He was a robust little kid,” says his first coach, Bart Theunissen.
“A quiet guy, but even then, already a no-nonsense person. We didn’t have a dedicated goalkeeper at the time, as we rotated players, which is common at that age. But you could already see he had impressive reflexes.”
It was not long before the scouts of Racing Genk, the local first-division team, began to take notice of his talent.
At eight, they invited him to one of their trial days, and soon afterwards, he joined them in the year 1999. It was there that he was converted into a goalkeeper.
The boyhood years of Thibaut Courtois.
Thibaut Courtois came through Genk’s youth system and, at just 18, was instrumental in their Belgian Pro League triumph. In July 2011, Chelsea signed him for around £8 million, but instead of joining them right away, Courtois was loaned to Atlético Madrid. That move turned out to be a pivotal moment in his career, setting the stage for his future success.
Love Life:
Yes, he is romantic but very unstable in his relationships – as our research once revealed. We present you with details about Thibaut Courtois’s relationship life.
Thibaut Courtois is also known for his relationship with Spanish athlete Marta Domínguez, who is pictured above and below. They met during his loan spell at Atlético Madrid and enjoyed several happy years together, sharing many memorable moments in the early days of their relationship.
On May 26, 2015, Thibaut Courtois and his Spanish girlfriend, Marta Domínguez, welcomed their daughter, Adriana, into the world.
In April 2017, it was confirmed that Courtois and Domínguez had ended their relationship. That same year, Thibaut had a son, Nicolas, with Domínguez, born in 2017.
She was pregnant when they decided to go their separate ways. Thibaut Courtois is the only well-known goalkeeper who has ended a relationship while his partner was expecting.
After their separation, Thibaut Courtois addressed the situation publicly, stating, “My girlfriend Marta and I have decided to part ways. Since the beginning of September, we’ve been separated and have ended our relationship on good terms.”
Marta was accused of having an affair with model Emily Vanhoutte, a wannabe Miss Belgium, Emily Vanhoutte. Ms Vanhoutte said she was shocked to discover later that Courtois had already been taken.
She said: ‘I would never do anything to start an affair with a man who cheats on his girlfriend. I did not know he had a girlfriend and led a double life.’
After splitting from a pregnant girlfriend, it didn’t take long before Thibaut Courtois was spotted enjoying Holiday with a Mystery Woman. Both were enjoying each other’s company as she clung to him while taking a Jet Ski ride.
Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne Relationship Feud:
Kevin de Bruyne was once in a relationship with Caroline Lijnen, and they were together for three years. However, their relationship ended in turmoil when Thibaut Courtois, who was once considered a close friend of Kevin’s, became romantically involved with Caroline. The situation escalated when Caroline admitted to cheating on Kevin with Thibaut, following Kevin’s own affair with Caroline’s former best friend. This betrayal marked the beginning of a notable feud between Kevin and Thibaut.
She also admitted Courtois gave her the best emotional treatment ever, the type she couldn’t get from de Bruyne.
In her words to Kevin… “Thibaut Courtois gave me in a night what you couldn’t in 3 years.”
Caroline Lijnen claimed that Kevin de Bruyne had cheated on her first, which she felt justified her own actions. She also alleged that Kevin’s parents were aware of his infidelities but chose to support him, likely due to his prominence as a football star.
In an interview with the Belgian publication Story Magazine, Lijnen explained, “I didn’t say anything for months because I couldn’t; Kevin’s parents threatened legal action if I shared my side of the story. Kevin proudly told me about his affair with my former best friend. I gave him the choice between her and me. Even though I was willing to give him another chance, our relationship was never the same after that.”
Truly, I was under pressure. I felt I was caged. And I decided to remain silent no longer.
This was why I went to Thibaut, his best friend, to seek refuge and advice. Thibaut consoled me and took the opportunity to show the emotions he’s been hiding from me. He offered me what I had not received during a three-year relationship with Kevin.
He made me feel like a real woman. With Thibaut, I could talk about anything and everything. He even prepared me delicious meals. Kevin never did it for me.”
Meanwhile, Courtois and de Bruyne never patched up their differences since the incident. This was the reason why Kevin lost his form at Chelsea FC.
De Bruyne felt devastated about what his best friend, Thibaut, did to him. He could have stayed at Chelsea to fight for his place, but his emotions couldn’t allow him. This was why he left the club and why he returned as a rival.
Thibaut Courtois Family Life:
Starting off, we present you a photo of Thibaut Courtois’ family. Thibaut, as seen below, has a very close resemblance to his father, Thierry Courtois, who is a retired semi-professional volleyball player.
Thibaut Courtois’ Mum:
Lambrechts, also known as Gitte Courtois, is the mother of the celebrated goalkeeper Thibaut. Just like her husband, Thierry, Gitte is also a Belgian volleyball legend. It was volleyball that brought Thibaut Courtois’ parents together.
About Valérie, Thibaut Courtois Sister:
Thibaut Courtois has a strikingly beautiful sister named Valérie Courtois. Valérie is a professional volleyball player known for her role as a libero with Budowlani Łódź and the Belgium national volleyball team.
In 2013, she was named Best Libero of the European Championships. Valérie is two years older than her brother. Below is Valérie Courtois (Nicknamed ‘Yellow Tiger’) in action.
Thibaut Courtois Brother:
Gaetan Courtois is the kid brother of Thibaut Courtois. He is a big supporter of his elder brother.
Thibaut Courtois Facts:
Eva Carneiro attends to him, unlike any sports doctor.
Eva is a Gibraltar-born British sports medicine specialist who is best known for serving as the first-team doctor of Chelsea F.C., which she joined in 2009.
Jose Mourinho publicly humiliated former Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro after she once ran onto the pitch to treat an injured Eden Hazard.
This made the former Chelsea doctor, Eva Carneiro, tender her resignation from the club after the on-pitch outburst from Mourinho, 53, whom she claimed called her a “daughter of a whore” in Portuguese.
Courtois loves the water challenge.
Thibaut has got his own share of pains.
In addition to the great Manuel Neuer, Courtois respects David de Gea.
Personality:
Courtois has the following attributes to his personality.
Thibaut Courtois Strengths: Like Emi Martinez, he is very practical and reliable, but only on a professional level.
What Thibaut Courtois likes: Gardening, cooking, music and romance.
Thibaut Courtois dislikes Sudden changes in ladies’ behaviour, complications and insecurity of any kind.
The issue with Simon Mignolet:
In February 2014, Thibaut Courtois sparked some controversy within the national team with a remark about Simon Mignolet. The controversy was centred around his rival for the starting goalkeeper position.
Courtois stated,
“You have to know how to stay both respectful, humble, and he should remember that.”
This comment caused a stir, especially since Mignolet had only expressed his ambition to keep working hard and try to regain his spot in the national team in previous interviews.
Thibauting:
In January 2013, Thibaut Courtois made a save that caught the attention of a Colombian fan, who created a popular social media meme called ‘Thibauting’ in his honour.
By November 2013, the term had gained so much traction that it was shortlisted by the Van Dale dictionary, one of the leading Dutch dictionaries, for the best new sports or amusement word of the year in Belgium, ultimately finishing in second place. The photo below shows fans proudly ‘Thibauting’ in celebration.
Fans ‘Thibauting’ in celebration, marking the term’s 2013 recognition as Belgium’s second-best new sports word by the Van Dale dictionary.
The term ‘Thibauting’ which has its own official Thibaut website, is inspired by and pronounced like “Tebowing,” and it’s similar to the global ‘planking’ meme that was popular in 2011.
He fell for Antonio Conte’s Love Game:
Antonio Conte has a way of showing love to his Chelsea players who threaten his London club as regards leaving for greener pastures.
Thibaut once threatened to leave for Real Madrid. Antonio Conte diffused the situation by continually performing love games with him in a bid to gain his reconsideration. Thibaut fell for it.
Appreciation Note:
Thanks for reading Thibaut Courtois’s biography. We strive for accuracy and fairness in our quest to deliver the stories of Red Devil Footballers.
Surely, the Life History of Lois Openda and Pascal Struijk will excite you. Let’s not forget Chelsea goalkeepers after him, the likes of Djordje Petrovic and Robert Sanchez.
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