"Enough of talking about our salaries." Courtois criticizes the crowded football schedule
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has expressed his concerns about the overly packed match schedule in modern football.
Details. The Real goalkeeper also highlighted the role of FIFPRO in protecting players, but expressed worry that other governing bodies are not paying enough attention to the issue. He mentioned the FIFA Club World Cup and pointed out the difficulties clubs face when trying to find the right way to participate.
Quote. "We need to put an end to the excuse 'you earn a lot of money.' You can also make money by playing 10 games less. It's not that there are too many games... I think the problem is that we don't get enough rest."
FIFPRO is trying to protect players. But I think other governing bodies don't think about it. This Club World Cup — it’s something that should exist, but it's hard to find the right way to participate in it. I think clubs want to help, but we all follow the rules and schedule that are given to us.
Courtois also gave examples of his Real Madrid teammates, particularly joking about Federico Valverde, who is known for rarely being given the chance to rest at either the club or international level.
"Bellingham and Carvajal played until July 14, on August 1, they were training in Madrid, and by August 8, they were already playing in the Super Cup. If you explain this to people in America, using the NBA or NFL as an example, they won't understand."
The other day I was laughing with Federico. I told him: 'Your next vacation will be in 2027.' You know how crazy that sounds! This year it’s the Club World Cup, next year it's the World Cup, the year after something else, so there’s no rest..." — the Belgian is quoted by Football-Espana.
Reminder. In August 2023, Courtois tore his ACL, which kept him out for much of the 2023–2024 season.
Liam Carter
Dailysports's expert
Translated by the editors
