Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has recovered a rare match-worn jersey from his debut professional season after spotting the item listed on the online marketplace 2dehands.be, according to regional reporting by HBVL and Sporza.

The Marketplace Discovery in Diepenbeek

The unusual transaction began in mid-September when 29-year-old collector and KRC Genk facility employee Stef Jacobs listed a limited-edition 2010–11 KRC Genk shirt on the Belgian trading platform 2dehands.be. Jacobs, who works for the club where Courtois recently became a shareholder, originally acquired the jersey as a 13-year-old at a Christmas auction. The shirt features a special Younited Belgium front sponsor, created as part of a Pro League holiday campaign during the goalkeeper’s breakthrough campaign in Limburg. Jacobs stated he placed the item online purely out of curiosity regarding its market value, noting that bidding quickly reached several thousand euros before the Real Madrid star himself intervened on the platform. Bidding on the item reached several thousand euros, though the highest bid did not come from the player himself, who was required to place a bid only to be able to send a message on the platform.

Verifying the Real Madrid Goalkeeper’s Identity

“I found it quite unbelievable at first,” Jacobs told HBVL, adding that no one expects an elite international footballer to browse local classified sites. To confirm the bidder’s authenticity, Jacobs consulted a colleague with direct ties to the national team goalkeeper. Once the account was verified as belonging to the former Chelsea and Atlético Madrid star, Jacobs immediately removed the listing from the platform to negotiate directly with the player and his management.

An All-Inclusive Trip to the Santiago Bernabéu

Rather than accepting the highest cash offer from outside bidders, which had climbed into the thousands of euros, Jacobs agreed to a direct exchange with the Spanish club’s starting keeper. Courtois and his representatives arranged an all-inclusive trip to Madrid for the collector, providing tickets situated directly above the supporters’ section for a La Liga fixture against Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. Real Madrid secured a 4-1 victory in that match, after which the Belgian international handed over one of his current club jerseys to complete the trade. Courtois subsequently posted photos on social media celebrating the return of the 16-year-old keepsake to his personal collection, captioning the post with delight over being reunited with the milestone kit, posing with a wide smile and two thumbs up while writing, “Glad to have one of the shirts from my debut season at Racing Genk back in my possession. Back in my collection after 16 years.” The goalkeeper did not encounter the item in his wardrobe, but rather found it on 2dehands.be. Although an in-person meeting with the Real Madrid shot-stopper did not ultimately take place, Jacobs later received messages confirming how enormously happy the player was with the item.

Preserving a Collector’s Lifetime of Memorabilia

Despite passing up a significant financial payout, Jacobs expressed contentment with the unique arrangement, emphasizing that the personal experience outweighed any monetary sum. The Diepenbeek resident maintains a substantial private archive of approximately 30 to 40 football shirts accumulated since childhood, including a previous-season jersey worn by Kevin De Bruyne and a rare yellow-and-black Thomas Buffel kit worn only once against Dynamo Kyiv.