Thibaut Courtois has slammed his Ballon d'Or ranking - and was left fuming: "I see the award as impossible to win".
The Real Madrid star, who was one of only two goalkeepers on the list, has questioned what a shot stopper must do to claim the Golden Ball. Courtois enjoyed a stellar season in Spain as he won La Liga and the Champions League, producing a Man of the Match display to hold off Liverpool in the final.
Courtois continued to thwart the Reds' frontline but finished seventh, behind the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappe and winner Karim Benzema. The Belgian has since labelled the Ballon d'Or "impossible" to win for a No 1 as he put forward his case.
He said after the ceremony: "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 7th. At least they created the trophy for best goalkeeper."
The Belgian's frustrations were echoed by Iker Casillas, himself a legendary goalkeeper with Los Blancos, who questioned what a No 1 must do to receive a higher ranking. He said on social media: "With a huge difference, the best goalkeeper in the world. What I'm not happy about is that he was not included in the final podium for the Ballon d'Or. I still don't understand what those who choose this award are based on."
Courtois' efforts were acknowledged with the Lev Yashin trophy. The Russian remains the only shot stopper to win the award after his success in 1963 with the Golden Ball becoming monopolised by forwards and midfielders for almost 20 years.
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He said after claiming the individual accolade: “I want to thank my team-mates at Real Madrid. To be part of this team, last year was amazing, for me especially. I’m proud to win this trophy with all the amazing goalkeepers there. I want to thank my family as well, it’s easy when things go well but harder when things don’t go so well, and they’re the first to pick you up.”
The Ballon d'Or has copped criticism for constantly being dished out to the most marketable individuals. Manuel Neuer, the only goalkeeper since 2006 to make the top three, made his views clear when he finished behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in 2014 despite winning the World Cup with Germany.
He told Kicker: "I'm a sportsman, not an ambassador for a brand, beyond being Adidas' first goalkeeper. I'm not some guy who poses in his underpants. I don't like the red carpet. I prefer the green turf. I feel better on the pitch trying to be the best I can be. After the games, the main things they show are goals, the chances, the assists. Spectators don't tend to remember that the keeper stopped difficult balls by taking a big risk or organised the play from the back."
