“At first I didn't believe it was him.” When KRC Genk supporter Stef Jacobs, received a bid on 2dehands.be from a user named 'Thibaut Courtois', he assumed someone was trying to fool him. However, after checking with his football club, the Limburg native discovered that the offer had genuinely come from the Real Madrid goalkeeper himself. What followed was an unusual exchange that even took Jacobs to Spain. “I immediately got a great new shirt in return.”Jacobs was just 13 years old when he acquired Courtois's jersey in 2010 through a Pro League auction featuring match-worn and other football shirts. The item remained a prized possession for years, hanging in his bedroom throughout that time.##EDITORS_CHOICE##“It hung in my room all that time,” he says. “I have been a KRC Genk fan for years. I was already standing among the supporters when I was seven.”Eventually, however, Jacobs began wondering whether the shirt's value had increased over the years. Courtois had since established himself as one of the world's elite goalkeepers and joined Real Madrid, while the market for valuable football memorabilia continued to attract considerable attention.“In the meantime, Courtois has grown into one of the best goalkeepers in the world and plays for Real Madrid. Lately, you see a lot of football shirts for which a lot of money is being offered. I was actually quite curious: what would they pay for a Thibaut Courtois shirt today?”HOW GENK BECAME A GOALKEEPING FACTORY🧤🇧🇪 THREAD👇 Genk’s reputation for developing elite goalkeepers is no coincidence. Much of the club’s philosophy can be traced back to Guy Martens and his concept of the ‘3D goalkeeper’, a modern approach that goes far beyond simply stopping shots. The idea is to develop goalkeepers who can defend space beyond their penalty area, read danger before it develops and play an active role in their team’s build-up. Rather than waiting for these qualities to emerge at the highest level, Genk have made them a fundamental part of their goalkeeper development from an early age. From Thibaut Courtois and Koen Casteels to Maarten Vandevoordt, Mike Penders and Luca Brughmans, the Belgian club’s track record speaks for itself. 👏 #Goalkeeping #Goalkeeper #genk— Goalkeeper.com (@goalkeeper_com) October 19, 2026 With that question in mind, Jacobs listed the jersey on 2dehands.be and began receiving offers. Among the interested buyers, however, one name immediately stood out.“At a certain point, bids started coming in from someone named Thibaut Courtois. At first, I thought it wasn't possible and that someone was just using that name.”Jacobs, who has spent the past three years working at KRC Genk as a fleet and facility employee, decided to investigate before taking the offer seriously. He contacted a colleague who maintains a connection with the goalkeeper, and the answer confirmed his suspicions were wrong: it really was Courtois.The Real Madrid star wanted to recover the old jersey and add it to his personal collection.Jacobs immediately knew he was dealing with something special and removed the listing from the website. Rather than proceeding with a conventional sale, he was willing to negotiate a different kind of arrangement.🚨🇧🇪 Thibaut Courtois has become an investor of his childhood club KRC Genk! https://t.co/n0TSZROWzI— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) June 1, 2026 It soon became clear that the exchange would offer Jacobs an experience far more memorable than simply selling a shirt. Following discussions with Courtois, the Belgian goalkeeper arranged for him to travel to Madrid and attend a Real Madrid match.The deal also included a jersey from Courtois's current club, giving Jacobs a fresh piece of football memorabilia in return for the one he had kept for 16 years.“On top of that, I received a shirt from Courtois' current club. I left by plane on Sunday morning for the match, and by Monday evening I was back home with a new jersey.”The story took another unexpected turn when Courtois himself shared the reunion with the shirt on social media. The goalkeeper posted a picture holding the jersey he had finally recovered after 16 years.Jacobs knew Courtois was pleased to have the item back, but the public acknowledgment still came as a surprise. “They had already let me know that he was very happy with it. But I hadn't expected him to share it on his social media.”19.45: (1.47) Juventus (4.40) Rennes (6.75)