It wasn’t all that long ago that Thibaut Courtois was bemoaning being only the seventh-best footballer on the planet. Not the seventh-best goalkeeper - he had top spot in that award sewn up - but seventh overall.
His case was as routine as it was sensible: we’ve won everything, I’ve played a huge part, I should be considered as one of the greatest - or, in his eyes, the greatest. Ultimately his reasons counted for plenty, just for the wrong player: teammate Karim Benzema picked up the Ballon d’Or in October.
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