Courtois: I am one of the best keepers now; Don't feel bad vibe in dressing room

Recently, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois granted an exclusive interview to Cadena Cope, addressing topics including his relationship with the media, the Yamal incident during the Clásico, and his future retirement plans.

Do you consider yourself the world's finest goalkeeper?

Well, I'm certainly among the best – I'm confident of that. Ultimately, though, it comes down to personal preference; everyone's entitled to their own opinion. My job is to help the club and the team. As for what others say or how they rank things, let them talk.

In your view, has Real Madrid entered a minor slump or crisis? Are we experiencing a brief dip in form and results?

You know how it is – the moment we draw or lose a game, the talk of 'crisis' starts. I'm well aware the noise outside the dressing room is always louder. Honestly, against Liverpool we didn't play well and deserved to lose. But against Rayo Vallecano, I didn't think it was that bad. Their home ground is notoriously difficult to play at. We squandered two or three chances in the first half, and our creativity did wane somewhat in the second.

Sometimes against Rayo Vallecano, you just get dragged into their rhythm. We've always struggled there over the past few years. We didn't win there two years ago either, yet we still ended up winning the league and the Champions League. These kinds of matches are inherently difficult. Naturally, we understand we must improve. We have several tough away fixtures coming up over the next month; we need to perform well and get back to winning ways away at Elche.

There have also been reports suggesting Xabi Alonso is struggling to maintain control in the dressing room, with some players unhappy and tensions reportedly running high between the manager and certain members of the squad. As someone with influence within the squad, are you the type to step in when things threaten to get out of hand?

I haven't sensed any discord in the dressing room. I believe we're training well and have a good relationship with the manager. Naturally, there will always be players slightly unhappy about playing time, their position, or expectations not being met – that happens everywhere.

But in our squad, everything is discussed openly. We lay it all out in meetings, so there's no issue. At 33, if someone genuinely needed to step in and maintain order, I might be a reasonable candidate. But so far, there's been no need for that. Everyone is clear about the team's direction, and we're all striving towards the same goal. I see no problem. Some rumours seem utterly ridiculous to me. When I see those reports, I can only say – it's simply not true, not at all. But this kind of thing creates noise; that's how it is at Real Madrid.

Has what happened to Vinícius in the Clásico been completely put behind us?

Yes, it's over and accepted by everyone. He apologised, the matter is settled, and we've moved on. I see no issue whatsoever. We're all human. In high-intensity, adrenaline-fuelled matches, you might react in certain ways you later regret. I've been through it myself, and others surely have too. Ultimately, he apologised to the whole squad and the coaching staff. For everyone involved, that drew a line under it.