Thibaut Courtois reveals message he sent Antonin Kinsky after Tottenham horror show

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has revealed he reached out to Tottenham’s Antonin Kinsky following his tough Champions League outing against Atletico, while also suggesting another factor may have contributed to the result.

Tottenham Hotspur suffered an embarrassing 5-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash on Tuesday night.

It was a chaotic evening at the Metropolitano Stadium, where the surface appeared unusually slippery throughout the match. In fact, three of the goals conceded came after players lost their footing, with two of those unfortunate moments involving Spurs debutant Antonin Kinsky.

Much to the request of many Tottenham supporters, Igor Tudor opted to drop Guglielmo Vicario from the starting XI after weeks of inconsistent performances domestically, handing the 22-year-old Kinsky his first-ever Champions League start.

However, it quickly turned into a night to forget for the Czech. Kinsky gifted two goals to the hosts inside the opening 15 minutes after slipping while attempting to play out from the back, prompting Tudor to hurriedly bring Vicario on as his replacement.

Despite the nightmare debut, the young goalkeeper received widespread backing across the football world. Spurs supporters were joined by several big names, including David De Gea, who publicly voiced support for the youngster.

Now, Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois has also joined the list of players rallying behind Kinsky.

Thibaut Courtois reveals message he sent Tottenham’s Antonin Kinsky

After Real Madrid’s 3-0 victory over Manchester City in their own Champions League round of 16 fixture, Thibaut Courtois revealed that he had privately reached out to Kinsky on Instagram to offer support.

“I sent him a message on Instagram because it’s tough. It’s hard mentally… But he’s well surrounded by his club, so this will work out.

“I also made mistakes at Atletico and Chelsea. And when Messi once nutmegged me twice in the same game, I got a lot of flak too.

“It wasn’t as bad as it was for him, but I know this is very difficult. I told him to see it as a learning experience. He has talent and needs to keep working hard. That’s the way.

“The fact that he was in goal also means the coach had a lot of confidence in him.”

Courtois also suggested that the conditions at Atletico’s stadium may have played a role in the chaotic evening. He said: “Ultimately, I think the pitch is causing more problems, not just for Tottenham but for many teams that have played there.”

Thibaut Courtois questions Igor Tudor’s handling of Antonin Kinsky

The Belgian was also among those who appeared unconvinced by Igor Tudor’s decision to substitute Kinsky so early in the match.

Courtois joined the likes of Joe Hart, who strongly criticised Tudor’s man-management and labelled the decision “Sunday league action”, as well as legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, who accused the Croatian boss of ‘killing the youngster’s career’.

“That was a tough one, because he could easily have had another great match afterwards and no one would talk about those blunders anymore,” Courtois added.

“But being a goalkeeper is just a difficult position. We’re so vulnerable, which isn’t always easy. If we make a mistake, it usually leads to a goal.”

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