Sports News | Courtois Not Surprised He Didn't Make FIFA Best's Shortlist After His Comments

London, Nov 24 (AP) Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois responded to being left off FIFA's 2021 shortlist for The Best goalkeeper, suggesting his criticism of football's governing body over the packed fixture list is to blame.

Real Madrid and Belgium number one has not been nominated, while Alisson Becker, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Edouard Mendy, Manuel Neuer and Kasper Schmeichel were.

Also Read | Cristiano Ronaldo Scripts Records After Scoring for Manchester United Against Villareal in UCL 2021-22 Match (Watch Goal Highlights).

Courtois spoke to the press ahead of the Champions League group stage Matchday 5 meeting with Sheriff on Wednesday.

Madrid suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Champions League debutants Sheriff in September at home, but now they top the Group D ahead of the reverse fixture in Moldova, and three points in Tiraspol would guarantee them qualification for the Round of 16.

Also Read | India vs New Zealand 1st Test 2021 Preview: Likely Playing XIs, Key Battles, Head to Head and Other Things You Need To Know About IND vs NZ Cricket Match in Kanpur.

And the Spanish giants are determined to get the job done in Moldova: "We're going to try and put in another good performance and win the game to qualify for the next round" - said Courtois.

Courtois has also backed his Belgium teammate Eden Hazard who has not started a game since that shock defeat to Sheriff at Santiago Bernabeu. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)