Real Madrid and Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has seconded Manchester City midfielder Rodri’s warning about a players’ strike. Rodri voiced concerns over the number of games footballers now have to play during a press conference on Tuesday where he said, “there will be a moment where” players are left with no other option than to embark on strike action.
Courtois’s endorsement came on Wednesday during a chat with popular Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos. He said, “Rodri is right. There are a lot of games. Fans want to see the best and we have to find a balance. There are too many games and there are more injuries.” The Belgian goalkeeper continued, “With the Nation’s League, the Club World Cup, games are added. People say we earn a lot of money, that we can’t complain, and that’s true. But we have to find a balance because the best players aren’t always going to be able to play.”
Courtois and Rodrigo may play more than 70 games this season as both Madrid and City are part of the new expanded format of the Champions League and the new Club World Cup’s 32-team format starting in the US next summer.
Players’ concerns over the increasing number of games on their schedules have been increasing over the past few months. Courtois joins a list of players, including City’s Manuel Akanji and Liverpool’s Alisson Becker, who have voiced these concerns over the past week. Carlo Ancelotti, who coaches Courtois at Madrid, also previously indicated that clubs are considering granting players holidays during the season to cope with the barrage of games they have to play.
Real Madrid began their Champions League campaign on Tuesday with a hard-fought 3-1 win over VfB Stuttgart. However, the Los Blancos are still fighting to steady their form in La Liga after drawing two of their opening five games.
