Courtois: Raphinha does not get the recognition he deserves, and Mourinho has changed since his Chelsea days

Real Madrid's Belgian goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, had no hesitation in praising one of the players of rivals Barcelona, the Brazilian star Raphinha.

Raphinha rarely gets the credit he deserves, Courtois reckons, and the numbers back him up. The Brazilian has fired 14 goals in 8 matches this season, including hat-tricks in two consecutive games.

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Courtois said, via the programme "Radio Estadio Noche" : "I like him (Raphinha) a lot. He is a key player for Barcelona. He does not always receive the recognition he deserves, but he is an essential player for the team."

The winger proved decisive the last time the two sides met. In the Spanish Super Cup, he scored twice as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-2.

Recent results against their rivals have gone against them, yet Courtois remains hungry for more silverware at Real Madrid. "We have won many trophies in the last 15 years," he said. "We have a great desire to win this number of trophies again. This is what Real Madrid demands of you, and this is what we see every day when we come in here."

He also had warm words for Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho, a man he worked under in England, pointing out that the veteran has mellowed since those days.

"He is as good as he was at Chelsea," Courtois said of Mourinho. "Perhaps with different ideas, because football has evolved since then. I think he is calmer in his day-to-day life and in front of the press. But he still applies pressure on the pitch and in meetings, and he still says what he thinks to people's faces."