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Thibaut Courtois credits Bayern No.1 for rise of the sweeper keeper.
Real Madrid goal-stopper Thibaut Courtois has praised Bayern Munich’s No.1 goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, for his huge impact in popularising the role of a goalkeeper as a sweeper-keeper.
The Real Madrid goalkeeper defeated Neuer to win the Yachine Trophy for 2022 after keeping 22 clean sheets across all competitions and allowing just 46 goals to help Madrid win La Liga and the Champions League last season.
The German goalkeeper was the talk of the 2014 World Cup for both his heroics as a sweeper keeper and his shot-stopping prowess. If the backline was caught off guard, he would initiate the build-up play and then rush off his line to stop opposition attacks.
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He only allowed four goals during the entire tournament in Brazil, which Germany won, earning him the Golden Glove trophy. Since then, Courtois has made an effort to emulate Neuer, admitting that the Bayern No. 1 was the one to fundamentally alter the nature of the modern goalkeeper.
“It was with Neuer that there was the biggest change. What he did at the 2014 World Cup had a huge impact on what came next. The goalkeeper was no longer just the guy who had to stop the ball,” Courtois said in an interview with L’Equipe.
For Madrid’s Champions League match against RB Leipzig, Courtois will return to the goalposts. When Bayern Munich travels to Barcelona, Neuer will also be involved in European competition.