Courtois slams LaLiga over plans for Barcelona-Villarreal match in Miami

VIDEO SHOWS: REAL MADRID TEAM WARMING UP AND TRAINING AHEAD OF UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE JUVENTUS MATCH/ SOUNDBITES FROM REAL MADRID COACH XABI ALONSO AND FROM GOALKEEPER THIBAUT COURTOIS  RESENDING WITH COMPLETE STORY SHOWS: MADRID, SPAIN (OCTOBER 21, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. REAL MADRID PLAYERS WARMING UP 2. COACHES TALKING FIELD 3. FORWARD, VINICIUS JR., WARMING UP 4. FORWARD, KYLIAN MBAPPE, WARMING UP  5. GOALKEEPER, THIBAUT COURTOIS, WARMING UP 6. PLAYERS WARMING UP   7. PLAYERS TRAINING  8. COACH, XABI ALONSO, GIVING INSTRUCTIONS 9. MIDFIELDER, FRANCO MASTANTUONO, DURING TRAINING 10. REAL MADRID GOALKEEPER, THIBAUT COURTOIS, ARRIVING AT PRESS CONFERENCE 11. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID GOALKEEPER, THIBAUT COURTOIS, SAYING: “In the NFL all the team owners have voted on this (game played abroad). They also doubled the games because it benefits them, they want this and they all voted for this. Here it’s the opposite. They (LaLiga) did it in this league because they want to do it. This distorts the competition. It doesn’t comply with the players’ agreement. I think it’s not right. In the end, I think we must play at home and away.” 12. COURTOIS DURING PRESS CONFERENCE  13. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID GOALKEEPER, THIBAUT COURTOIS, SAYING: “It isn’t easy every time he (Vinicius Jr.) steps inside a stadium. The other day in Getafe he didn’t do anything wrong, they were against him from the first second. It’s normal for him to sometimes respond without provoking or attacking. They were after him from the beginning and he ended up annoying our rivals, rivals that wanted to do that to him. I think he responded very well. His presence on the field helped us create more danger.” 14. REAL MADRID COACH, COACH, XABI ALONSO, WALKING INTO PRESS CONFERENCE 15. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID COACH, COACH, XABI ALONSO, SAYING: “Juventus is one of those select teams that make European soccer great. Juventus have faced Real Madrid several times. I remember seeing them on TV and playing some (games) as well. We are prepared to face them. Our team wants to go get their third Champions victory, to have a great beginning. That’s what we want. Tomorrow we will also have the stadium, we play at home.” 16. ALONSO DURING PRESS CONFERENCE 17. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID COACH, COACH, XABI ALONSO, SAYING: “(Vinicius Jr.) is a fundamental player in this team. He has been a decisive player for this and other seasons. I’m happy to see Vinni enjoy, smile. The other day we talked in the morning about his impact and how he changed the match during the second half. We need him for what is coming up. He needs to be very focused on the game, focused on what he does well.” 18. VINICIUS JR DURING TRAINING 19. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS TRAINING STORY: Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois launched a scathing attack on LaLiga and its president Javier Tebas on Tuesday (October 21), criticising the decision to stage Barcelona’s away match against Villarreal in Miami on Dec. 20, calling it a move that “distorts the competition”.      The match, set to take place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, would mark the first LaLiga fixture held outside Spain and the first European league match staged abroad. While UEFA reluctantly approved the plan, Real Madrid and several players have expressed their opposition, with Courtois leading the charge.    During a press conference ahead of their match against Juventus, Courtois also compared LaLiga’s plans with the NBA and NFL, which regularly play matches abroad, but he dismissed the analogy. “In the NFL all the team owners have voted on this."         Real Madrid will face a Juventus side that has been struggling for form. The Italian club are winless in over a month and sit seventh in the Serie A standings with just 12 points, four behind leaders AC Milan.  (Production: Michael Gore, Nina Lopez)

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