"The misfortunes of a nation can be benefits for another" is a saying that perfectly summarizes the situation of Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin at Real Madrid, who is reaping the rewards of his hard work over recent years. Lunin is living an extraordinary dream within the walls of the Bernabéu, as fate has granted him a reward for his patience at times, and sidelined him at others.
The Ukrainian, who came from afar, nearly saw his adventure with the Merengues end quickly with the return of Courtois to the team's goal after the international break, were it not for a twist of fate. Courtois recently returned to training with Real Madrid after recovering from surgery due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained before the current season. However, the Belgian goalkeeper left training days ago in tears after suffering a new injury with a meniscus tear in his knee, leading him to undergo surgery and necessitating a two-month absence, which effectively ends his season.
Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Real Madrid, intended to bring Courtois back during the match against Athletic Bilbao following the current international break, returning Lunin to the bench once again.
Lunin's adventure continues as he will maintain his exceptional season in goal for Real Madrid, after having been completely overlooked. Following Courtois' injury before the start of the season, Ancelotti opted to go into the transfer market and signed Kepa from Chelsea on a season-long loan, which clearly indicated his lack of confidence in Lunin’s abilities at that moment.
Once Kepa was signed, he was fielded as a starter, playing ten consecutive matches in La Liga and three in the Champions League. However, after Kepa's injury before the match against Sporting Braga from Portugal, and Lunin's participation, Ancelotti's perspective on the Ukrainian goalkeeper began to shift.
Lunin managed to keep his starting position until Kepa returned from injury, when the notion of rotating between the two according to tactical considerations came into play. But since the match against Almería in La Liga, which ended in a 3-2 victory for Real Madrid, things completely changed in Lunin's favor, making him the primary goalkeeper for the Merengues, and he has not returned to the bench since.
So far, Lunin has played 23 matches in various domestic and international competitions with Real Madrid, conceding 19 goals and keeping a clean sheet in 10 matches. If Lunin maintains his current form, he will likely continue to hold his starting position until the end of the season, during which the Merengues aim to win both La Liga and the Champions League.
