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Donnarumma and Courtois: battle of the goalkeepers
- The Italian is flying high after PSG's Champions League victory
- The Belgian made the key save for Real Madrid to beat Dortmund
- PSG take on Real Madrid on 9 July at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey
The second semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid C.F. exudes exciting storylines from Kylian Mbappe’s first game against his former employers to Luis Enrique’s history in white. The all-European clash is also a duel between two of today's top goalkeepers: PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois.
The Italian and the Belgian are coming into the match at a very high point in their careers. Donnarumma, only 26, is already a dual European champion, having won EURO 2020 with Italy and this season’s UEFA Champions League with PSG. At 33, Courtois has plenty of life left in him, having overcome ACL tears in both knees that kept him out of action between August 2023 and May 2024. Back in the fold for the Belgian national team, Courtois is eager to prove he remains the world’s best goalkeeper.
Donnarumma hasn’t missed a beat since PSG’s 5-0 win over FC Internazionale Milano in the UEFA Champions League final. At the Club World Cup, the Italian has confirmed he is the defensive mainstay for Luis Enrique’s side. He helped PSG blank Atlético de Madrid in their opening game and has conceded one goal all tournament, only bested by Botafogo’s Igor Jesus.
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Under new manager Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid have gone from strength to strength at the Club World Cup, but, understandably, are still searching for their best performance. After conceding a goal in the opener against Al Hilal and another on matchday two against CF Pachuca, Courtois kept a clean sheet against FC Salzburg at the end of Group H and in the round of 16 against Juventus.
In the quarter-finals in New Jersey, Courtois had an uneventful day against Borussia Dortmund until a frantic final ten minutes. Two-nil to the good with ten minutes to play, Madrid conceded, scored, and conceded again. With the game 3-2 in Real Madrid's favour, the Germans had a great chance to take the game into extra time. Austrian Marcel Sabitzer's volley looked like a sure goal, but the Belgian made one of the best saves of the tournament to see Madrid to victory.
‘I saw Sabitzer coming and he was going to shoot and I didn't want extra time, so I threw myself with all my soul to stop the ball. [It was] just like [Sadio] Mané's in the Champions League,” Courtois told the media after the game, comparing it to his save against the Senegalese striker in the 2022 Champions League final.
"I thought [on the last play] that we were very lucky to have Thibaut as our goalkeeper,” said Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso. “He is one of those goalkeepers who makes you win games, and today that save was decisive. He has a very positive influence."
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While Courtois is about to enter his eighth season at Real Madrid, whom he joined from Club World Cup finalist Chelsea FC in 2018, Donnarumma has only been in Paris since 2021, when he left his boyhood club A.C. Milan. The beginning of his French adventure proved difficult, coinciding with PSG's repeated stumbles in their bid to conquer Europe. Donnarumma was in goal when Real Madrid made a miracle comeback in 2022, as they conquered their fourteenth European Cup. However, PSG’s recent European Cup victory has proven the reversal in fortune the club and its keeper had been longing for. Despite the absence of Pacho from their backline, the European champions will feel confident facing Madrid with Donnarumma minding their net, although it will surely be a hotly contested match.
"I don't think they are very different schools,” Courtois told the press the day before the match. “At the end of the day, we both look to have possession, have a lot of passes, and press high. PSG are a bit like Madrid."
The American adage “Offense sells tickets, defense wins championships” seems fitting for the semi-final between PSG and Real Madrid. Both sides enter the match with fans fixed on their potent attacking weapons, but there is no doubt that neither club would have made it this far without Donnarumma or Courtois. One of the two may yet decide who makes the final.
