Topics: Real Madrid, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Thibaut Courtois, Carlo Ancelotti, Atletico Madrid
The wife of a Real Madrid goalkeeper has taken a dig at Kepa Arrizabalaga after the former Chelsea star dropped yet another disaster-class.
The life of a goalkeeper can be an extremely lonely one, and Kepa Arrizabalaga knows it better than most. The Spaniard became the most expensive goalkeeper in history when he joined Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao in a £71 million move in 2018.
However, Kepa struggled for form at Stamford Bridge though and quickly fell out of favour under Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.
The 29-year-old looked to be finished at the top level, but he was handed a lifeline last summer when Real Madrid made the surprise decision to sign him on loan.
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With Thibaut Courtois out of action with an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, Carlo Ancelotti brought in Kepa to take up the starting spot at the Bernabeu.
Despite the change of scenery, Kepa has failed to convince with the Spanish giants. After starting 10 of Madrid's opening 11 La Liga games, Kepa has found himself on the bench behind Ukraine international Andriy Lunin.
Lunin has been on the books at Real Madrid since 2018, and over the last couple of seasons has acted as understudy to Courtois.
He could be forgiven for feeling a bit miffed that Ancelotti overlooked him as Courtois' replacement in favour of Kepa. Judging by a now-deleted post on her Instagram Story, his wife certainly seems to feel aggrieved.
After Kepa dropped a clanger during Real Madrid's 5-3 defeat of Atletico Madrid in the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday, Lunin's wife, Anastasia Nastasica, posted a photo of her and her husband with the caption: "For sure, number one."
With the score locked at 2-2 with less than 15 minutes of normal time remaining in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Kepa flapped at a cross and ended up kicking the ball against centre-back Antonio Rudiger. The ball looped over the goalkeeper's head and into the back of the net, giving Atletico a late lead.
Real Madrid will face either Barcelona or Osasuna in the final of the Supercopa de Espana on Sunday, January 14. Whether or not Kepa keeps his place between the sticks after his latest error remains to be seen.
