Courtois targets Real Madrid stay, wants to retire at Bernabeu

Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid goalkeeper, assured this Saturday, on the eve of the match against Pachuca in the FIFA Club World Cup, that he hopes to stay "many more years" at the club and expressed his desire to retire as a Madrid player.

"Hopefully. I am very happy here, as you all know. It is a dream to play here: the more years I can play here, the better. Total willingness, everyone knows that I would like to stay here, hopefully retire here," he said in a mixed zone organized at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

"I have to keep proving myself on the pitch, helping the team. The rest will be resolved easily," he added. Courtois is preparing to start his eighth season as a Real Madrid player. The next challenge will be this Sunday, against Pachuca, on the second matchday of Group H of the Club World Cup, after the 1-1 draw in the opener.

Courtois acknowledged that assimilating Xabi Alonso's ideas takes time. "We have been working for a week, and we are adapting more and more to what the coach wants. We know what he wants; in the end, it is trial, error, trial, error. We are already in a tournament, we have to get into it, win and try to do it to the fullest," he said.

He also stated that the pitch in American stadiums such as the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami or the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte is not ideal for playing football. "We miss those real grass pitches a little bit, but we adapt," he said.