Welcome to #Euro2016Rank, a weeklong look at the top 25 players we expect to see at the European Championship. Over 50 ESPN FC experts and writers from across the globe voted, and we're rolling out the results right up to opening day, when France plays Romania on June 10.
Why is Thibaut Courtois in the top 25?
Courtois enters the Euros with plenty to prove after a disappointing season at Chelsea, both in terms of his club's abject failure in defending its Premier League crown and his own individual performances. So far, the physical rigours of English football have not suited him nearly as much as the Spanish game, where, when winning the 2013-14 La Liga title with Atletico Madrid, he looked imminently capable of being the world's best goalkeeper. There is little doubt that his huge (nearly two metres) yet agile frame is built for him to reach that status, and he must hope to rediscover his form in the more comfortable surroundings of playing for his country.
What the experts say about Courtois:
"Thibaut Courtois is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and he knows it." -- Diego Costa, in February 2014, when the pair were colleagues at Atletico.
"Their goalkeeper wasn't good, he was very good." -- Zlatan Ibrahimovic, after PSG's 1-1 draw with Chelsea in February 2015.
Career highlight:
Winning the 2014 La Liga title when in the third and final season of his loan from Chelsea to Atletico, and conceding just 26 goals.
Stat of the season:
Courtois had just five clean sheets in 22 matches during the 2015-16 Premier League season.
What next for Courtois after Euro 2016?
There have been intimations that he might return to Spanish football. If Real Madrid again fail to land David De Gea, the Bernabeu could be Courtois' eventual destination.
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