Courtois shares the story behind Valverde’s ‘unusual’ wonder goal
Federico Valverde scored a stunning late volley against Athletic Bilbao, and Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois wasn’t surprised—because he sees it all the time in training.
When Valverde struck the ball with his right foot, it looked for a moment like it might go wide. But in the blink of an eye, it dipped into the net. The goalkeeper tried to stop it but couldn’t—he was left frozen, out of options. That moment of helplessness wasn’t unique to Bilbao’s keeper; Courtois experiences it regularly on the training ground.
With Real Madrid’s La Liga title hopes hanging by a thread, Valverde came to the rescue. In stoppage time, just after the 90th minute, Unai Simón did well to parry away a powerful shot from Valverde taken just outside the box. But minutes later, he couldn’t keep him out. From the right side of the box, Valverde fired a missile of a volley to the far post—unstoppable.
Over the past few seasons, Valverde has delivered some spectacular goals. Long-range strikes and volleys have become something of a signature for him. Some of his teammates even joke, “Can’t you just score a normal goal for once?”
But that’s Valverde—he seems to thrive on the extraordinary. Most of his goals are jaw-dropping.
After the win over Bilbao, Courtois told reporters that they’ve grown used to seeing these kinds of goals from Valverde in training.
“Fede has the ability to take these unusual shots, and he’s very good at it. Just yesterday in training, he hit one that looked like it was heading wide but suddenly curled into the goal. I asked him, ‘How did you even do that?’ It was sharp, fast, and powerful,” said Courtois.
“He scores a couple of these every week in training. We’ve been telling him for ages—‘Take the shot whenever you get the chance.’”
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has always been a big admirer of Valverde, and he credited the midfielder for the crucial win.
“Valverde’s performance was key because he scored the goal. He played well, the whole team did. We were a bit slow in the first half, but in the second half, we were strong in every area. After being knocked out of the Champions League, we were desperate to win this,” said Ancelotti.
It may have been a narrow 1–0 win, but for Madrid, it meant much more. Dropping points could’ve ended their title hopes. Thanks to Valverde, they remain just four points behind leaders Barcelona—69 points from 32 matches compared to Barça’s 73.
Next month’s El Clásico could be decisive in the title race. But first, the arch-rivals face off this Saturday in the Copa del Rey final—a match that could set the tone for the rest of the season.
