Daniel Sturridge has named the goalkeeper he dreaded facing the most and it is a player Liverpool supporters know well.
In a recent interview with Away Days, The former striker was asked which goalkeeper intimidated him the most. While he acknowledged the imposing presence of Manuel Neuer and praised Joe Hart for knowing his game inside out, Sturridge revealed that his ultimate choice was Thibaut Courtois.
“I would say [Manuel] Neuer was one just because of his height, but if I had to choose, I think Courtois,” Sturridge said.
“Courtois, he’s just so big man. He look like with his arms you’re like bro there’s nowhere to go, where do I put it? So there’s certain goalkeepers where you just look at them and you’re like oof, my shot has to be perfect today.”
Sturridge faced Courtois four times in his career, with the Belgian keeper averaging 1.75 points per game when lining up against him. Their first encounter came in the UEFA Super Cup when Sturridge was still at Chelsea. He played just the final 10 minutes as Atletico Madrid dominated, leaving little opportunity to test Courtois directly.
Their next meeting came after Sturridge had moved to Liverpool. He experienced a victory over Courtois’ Chelsea side in the 2016/17 season, but the following season, there was little to separate the two sides, and Liverpool couldn’t fully overcome the Belgian’s presence in goal.
The final clash between Sturridge and Courtois occurred after the striker had been loaned out to West Brom. He played only four minutes in the match, which Chelsea won comfortably 3-0. Across all encounters, Courtois consistently proved a difficult challenge for Sturridge, both in terms of shot-stopping ability and sheer physical presence.
For Liverpool, Courtois has also been a significant obstacle. Aside from a 2-0 Champions League win over Real Madrid last year, the Reds have generally struggled against Los Blancos. Courtois was particularly memorable in the 2021/22 Champions League final, where he was named UEFA’s player of the match after Liverpool failed to score from 23 attempts, nine of which were on target.
“There’s certain goalkeepers where you just look at them and you’re like oof, my shot has to be perfect today,” Sturridge reflected, highlighting the psychological impact Courtois can have on even top-level strikers.
As Liverpool prepare to face Real Madrid once again in this season’s Champions League, Courtois is expected to start in goal. Sturridge’s comments underline the challenge Liverpool’s forwards will face, showing that Courtois remains one of the most intimidating goalkeepers in world football.
