Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has reiterated he never doubted his own ability or lost confidence in himself.
The Belgian international joined Los Blancos in the summer of 2018 from Chelsea but his form has been questioned over his time at the club.
Alphonso Areola, a summer loan signing from Paris Saint-Germain, had temporarily replaced Courtois in the starting line-up after the Belgian had suffered from a bout of acute gastroenteritis.
That illness came in the midst of Madrid’s Champions League home draw against Club Brugge, where the former Atletico Madrid shot-stopper had notably been underperforming.
“I never doubted myself, I know what I am worth and that will not change,” Courtois told EFE press agency.
“In the end, I never lost confidence, I never felt bad. Before the match against Club Brugge, when they started criticising me, we had won 0-1 in Sevilla and drawn 0-0 against Atlético Madrid, who are two difficult games.
“It has been good to secure those clean sheets, but in the end it is a job of a team, not just the goalkeeper. We are 11 when we attack and 11 when we defend.
“It is true that the press is more demanding. There is much talk about Madrid, you have to fill 10 pages of newspapers every day talking only about Madrid.
“But in winning games not because when I was at Atleti (2011-2014) you had to win, when I was at Chelsea (2014-2018), it was necessary to win. That does not change, in Madrid it is also that.
“I have someone who helps me with press things. I try not to read or listen. If there is something I have to know, I will know. But if not, I have to be focused on training well, doing my things.”
Courtois has established himself as number one goalkeeper at the club following Keylor Navas joining Paris Saint-Germain alongside loan exits for Luca Zidane and Andriy Lunin.
