Real Madrid's Keylor Navas Says 'I'll Go Home' When He Loses Hope as Starter

Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas has said he'll "go home and focus on something else" when he thinks he no longer stands a chance of fighting for the starting spot at the club. 

Navas has lost his No. 1 spot at the Santiago Bernabeu after Thibaut Courtois was purchased from Chelsea. The Costa Rica goalkeeper was handed the Ibero-American Community Trophy by Spain's king, Felipe VI, on Thursday and spoke at the awards ceremony, per EFE (h/t Marca):

"The day that I think I can no longer start, I'll go home and focus on something else.

"I have always worked to start.

"In the end the coaches make the decisions.

"I'm not playing as much as I want, but when I go on the pitch I think that I'm performing well and you have to value this."

Navas is back between Real's posts after summer arrival Courtois suffered a hip injury that could keep him out of action for up to a fortnight, per AS.

The 32-year-old hasn't started a league game since losing his spot in the early weeks of the campaign, but Eleven Sports attested to Navas' talents as he celebrated an accolade appearance against Leganes on Wednesday:

While Courtois has been good value for money—Chelsea were forced to sell their star with less than a year remaining on his contract—the Belgian has room to improve in a Real team that's fallen short of expectations this term.

Navas, on the other hand, has the advantage of having already won just about every major trophy there is in football, not to mention steering Real through one of the most successful periods in their history:

The former Levante goalkeeper could challenge for a starting place in just about any XI in Europe, but Navas seems intent to regain his place at Real, convinced his days there as a starter may not be over yet.

Courtois has kept eight clean sheets in 21 appearances this season—a clean sheet every 2.63 matches—whereas Navas has kept four clean sheets in nine games, a clean sheet every 2.25 games.

Journalist Richard Martin commented on Navas' recent one-year contract extension as an odd decision for a goalkeeper in his position:

Courtois moved to Madrid after finishing third with Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but his early work at the Santiago Bernabeu suggests his place isn't locked down, and Navas remains eager to take it back as his own.