Real Madrid fell to their rivals Atletico Madrid, and most of the squad faded from view. Thibaut Courtois did the complete opposite. He performed on the pitch, spoke off it, and stood before his club's supporters at a time when the others preferred silence.
The Belgian goalkeeper carried on his striking run of form, ending the night as Real Madrid's best player in the 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the capital's derby.
Courtois earned a rating of 8.6 from SofaScore, the best figure at Real Madrid and across the entire match. He rescued his side from dangerous chances and held firm even as the team collapsed for long stretches.
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His brilliance did not stop at the edge of the pitch. Real Madrid's players refused to speak to the media in the mixed zone, on the club's instructions, and none of them posted a single message on social media after the defeat. Courtois was the exception.
Making his way over to the Real Madrid supporters who had travelled to the Wanda Metropolitano, the Belgian saluted them, applauded them, then kissed the club's crest. The scene captured his bond with the team and his sorrow at their current plight.
A lone message after the fall
Courtois did not stop there. He was the only Real Madrid player to send a message to the supporters after the defeat. He wrote on his social media accounts: "The obvious things let us down, but what is in our hands is to improve so as not to lose more points. Hala Madrid."
Those words landed at a difficult moment, with the derby loss piling fresh pressure on the team. His personal message was only part of it. His name cropped up in another interaction with the club too.
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According to Spain's "AS", the Belgian, alongside Denzel Dumfries, was the only player to like Real Madrid's post on Instagram, which carried a report on the match pointing to the refereeing errors the club believes affected the derby. The headline was blunt: "Bad refereeing decides the derby".
Courtois walked away from derby night with an image far removed from most of his team-mates. Best on the pitch. Most present off it. The one player who chose to face the supporters rather than hide behind the team's silence.