Thibaut Courtois has followed Man United since he was a child and cherished the dream of wearing the Red Devils shirt because of his admirer Edwin van der Sar.
But in 2011, coach Sir Alex Ferguson chose to recruit David De Gea. This deal caused Courtois to change his career direction.
Sharing with Rio Ferdinand's podcast, the Belgian star said:
"I love Edwin van der Sar and Cascascas. At that time, I was about 11 or 12 years old and watching these two goalkeepers. I watch Cascascas' matches at Real Madrid and watch Man United for Edwin".
"But then the club signed David De Gea. That helped me shape my path in a different way. There was interest from Tottenham, Chelsea, and some other teams at that time. Chelsea at that time had the best project for me in the long term, so I agreed."
Courtois joined Chelsea from Genk in 2011. He then spent three more years playing on loan at Atletico, winning La Liga, Copa del Rey and Europa League before returning to Stamford Bridge. After two Premier League titles with the Blues, the Belgian star arrived at Real Madrid in 2018.
To date, he has won three La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues with the royal team.
Meanwhile, De Gea became a successful signing for United. He was with the Old Trafford team for 12 years before his contract was terminated in 2023. That was a decision that left many regrets when De Gea just won the Golden Gloves title in the Premier League 2022-2023. He is currently playing for Serie A club Fiorentina.
