Courtois explains why he left Mourinho on read, and why he thinks his old coach is calmer these days

Some messages take a while to answer, and you end up regretting it a little. That's exactly what happened to Thibaut Courtois with Jose Mourinho: the Portuguese coach texted him as soon as he arrived at Real Madrid, and the Belgian goalkeeper left him on read for two full weeks. "I was on a flight and didn't see the message," he said with a smile in an interview with Sky Sports. In the end, it was nothing serious, since the relationship between the two goes back much further, built on winning trophies together.

Courtois and Mourinho already knew each other inside out, having crossed paths at Chelsea, where they won the 2015 Premier League title. So when the manager returned to the Real Madrid bench this season, the goalkeeper had no trouble finding the words to describe how he felt. "I was really happy he was coming back, it excited me," he said, going on to describe the effect Mourinho has the moment he walks into a locker room.

He fills the room; you notice his presence when he walks into the locker room. We needed something like that.Thibaut Courtois

The interesting part, according to Courtois himself, is that the Mourinho of today isn't quite the same one who used to shout in English locker rooms more than a decade ago. The Belgian has noticed him calmer, more mature, though without losing the essence that makes him so recognizable. "He tells us himself that he's matured, that with experience he's calmer now. At Chelsea he was tougher in the locker room, but he still has the same personality," he explained.

A fond memory of Xabi Alonso

The goalkeeper, who came through Genk and Atletico Madrid before joining Real Madrid, also had words for the man who managed the team before Mourinho: Xabi Alonso, whose spell on the Madrid bench began last season and ended with his departure in January. Far from piling on criticism, Courtois left a message of respect for the Basque coach.

I loved him; I liked his way of training. He's a great coach and, if he's given time, he'll do well.Thibaut Courtois

Still, the goalkeeper didn't dodge the heart of the matter when asked why that cycle never quite came together. He was fairly clear on that point: not everyone in the locker room was on the same page. "When results go badly, it's always easy to point at the coach. In some cases the dynamic wasn't good, but with other players it was," he admitted.

Finally, Courtois also spoke about his own situation with the Belgium national team, from which he stepped away temporarily during the last Nations League. After the World Cup he even considered walking away from international soccer, but ended up deciding otherwise. "After the World Cup I thought about retiring, but I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to keep going. I decided not to go to the Nations League because it's too much for the players. There are so many games. After a year marked by injuries, I needed to rest and have a calmer season," the Belgian admitted, adding that he still plans to keep representing his country's colors.