"The Spanish press wants to kill me," says Courtois after a difficult week

(Reuters) – Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois says he has been treated unfairly in Spain for a tough first season. He defended his abilities after making an embarrbading mistake in the Euro 2020 qualifier between Belgium and Russia on Thursday.

A poorly calculated Courtois dribble led to the Belgian goal being sacked in his area, which allowed Denis Cheryshev to equalize for Russia in the match. Belgium won 3-1.

This error ended a tough week for the goalkeeper, who was eliminated by Zinedine Zidane in his first Real Madrid match against Celta Vigo last Saturday, recalling Keylor Navas in his place.

Courtois had a tough first campaign in Madrid since signing Chelsea and believes he was treated harshly in Spain for his role in the team's hazardous season, leaving them with no realistic chance of winning a trophy.

"I still consider myself one of the best in the world, even if the Spanish press wants to kill me," Courtois told the Belgian press.

"I feel strong, I am calm, I play well and I train well."

Courtois also ignored his mistake against Russia.

"The Russian striker has given me a boost," he said.

"I did not have the strength to clean it. I made a small mistake, but that is the life of a goalkeeper. After that, I calmed down and played my game. "

Belgian striker Eden Hazard, who scored two goals against Russia after Courtois's mistake, tried to calm tensions after the match by joking about his team-mate's incident.

"He's watching a lot of videos of my actions, and then he's trying to copy me. The problem is that it's much bigger than me, so it's not that easy, "said Hazard.