Courtois and Chus Mateo inaugurate White Week at Universidad Europea Real Madrid Graduate School
“From the outside you always see the grandeur, but until you're inside you don't realise the impact Real Madrid has on world football,” said the madridista goalkeeper.
Thibaut Courtois and Chus Mateo took centre stage on the first day of White Week for students at the Universidad Europea Real Madrid Graduate School. The director of Institutional Relations at Real Madrid, Emilio Butragueño, moderated the event, at which the Belgian goalkeeper said: “Fighting adversity isn't easy, you have to be confident and believe in yourself. It's important to be a professional when it comes to work. Many will remember you for your football career, but many others will remember you for the way you conduct yourself on a day-to-day basis.”
Lessons learnt from injury
“Above all, you have to be positive. In August I cried because the worst thing that can happen to you in football is the cruciate. When I got home I said I was going to work hard and come back strong. That was my idea from the beginning: stay positive, fight and never give up, find your limits. Many thought my season was over, but I knew it wasn't.”
Real Madrid's standout value
“From the outside you always see the grandeur, but until you're inside you don't realise the impact Real Madrid has on world football. Every year they are fighting to win the Champions League, the club is the best in the world and really when you're inside you see everything. When you move around the world you realise the repercussions.”
His best moments
“There are two. One is the game against Galatasaray. I made about three saves and built up my confidence. Since then, everything has gone upwards. The second moment was winning the Champions League final against Liverpool. Winning that final with so many saves and being voted man of the match is one of the best moments of my life in football.”
Chus Mateo on White Week during Final Four week
Before Courtois' talk, Chus Mateo opened the 2024 White Week by talking about the quest for excellence: “I don't think that managing a club like Real Madrid, where the demands are the most demanding, is easy, but I have learnt a lot from the people I am with. I like the mix of experience and talent. The important thing is the group. Real Madrid comes first and getting to the Final Four isn't because someone has just been brilliant one day.”
Real Madrid values
“When you come to this club you realise how huge it is. There are things you don't believe until you're here, like not giving up until the end. This club makes you really fight to the end. I watch Real Madrid football and basketball and these miracles only happen here. There is a certain mystique, but it's the truth. That spirit that surrounds the club, that magic that only happens here. At another club it might happen one day, but here it lasts for a long time. Last year with Partizan we managed to win the play-offs because we fought until the end.”
Advice for success
“I've worked hard. Failure also makes you grow because I've also lost, and ultimately that shapes you. My advice is not to force things, you have to work, but forcing is no good. Things either come or they don't. You don't have to go crazy, you have to be committed to a path and prioritise what's important. You can't force yourself to get to a place at the end of your career, you either get there or you don't, and once the moment comes, you have to be prepared to accept it.”
Other speakers
The first day of White Week also included the participation of Francisco Panadero, Director of Infrastructures and Asset Development at Real Madrid, who spoke about asset development and the added value of assets. Meanwhile, Pilar Jericó, president of BeUp and visiting professor from Georgetown, talked about essential leadership.