MX23RW : Wednesday, July 3 06:03:22| >> :120:46983:46983:

Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois slams Ballon d'Or rankings despite winning award

Courtois slams Ballon d'Or rankings despite award
© Reuters
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois hits out at the final Ballon d'Or rankings, despite winning an award at the prestigious ceremony.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has hit out at the Ballon d'Or rankings, despite winning an award on the night.

Courtois, who was one of only two goalkeepers on the final shortlist for the main award, finished seventh in the voting behind Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah, Robert Lewandowski, Kevin De Bruyne, Sadio Mane and teammate Karim Benzema.

The 30-year-old took home the Lev Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper following his exploits last season, when he helped Real Madrid to Champions League, La Liga and Supercopa de Espana glory.

Courtois was named man of the match in the Champions League final against Liverpool as Los Blancos ran out 1-0 winners, and he believes that his performances deserved a higher ranking in the Ballon d'Or standings.

Speaking after the ceremony, the Belgium international admitted that he feels it is "impossible" to win the award as a goalkeeper.

"I see the Ballon d'Or as impossible to win. You win La Liga and you win the Champions League, your team wins thanks to your saves... and you only finish seventh. At least they created the trophy for best goalkeeper," Courtois told reporters.

Benzema took home the top prize for the first time in his career, while Barcelona trio Robert Lewandowski, Gavi and Alexia Putellas all also landed major awards, winning the Gerd Muller Trophy, the Raymond Kopa Trophy and the Women's Ballon d'Or respectively.

ID:497259:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect2979:

Click here for more stories about Thibaut Courtois

Click here for more stories about Liverpool

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema after winning the Ballon d'Or on October 17, 2022
Read Next:
Final Ballon d'Or rankings in full as Karim Benzema takes top prize
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Euro 2024 fixtures header
Friday, July 5
 
5pm
Quarter-Finals
Spain
vs.
Germany
 
8pm
Quarter-Finals
Portugal
vs.
France
Saturday, July 6
 
5pm
Tuesday, July 9
Wednesday, July 10
Sunday, July 14
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!