The years go by and Andriy Lunin remains, for another year, the second goalkeeper at Real Madrid. The Belgian goalkeeper continues to accumulate years with the Whites, having arrived in the summer of 2018, and this will be his eighth season defending the team. Although there has been speculation throughout these years that the goalkeeper would seek his fortune at another club, he seems convinced of his options.
Lunin and his time at Real Madrid
Andriy Lunin arrived in the Spanish capital in 2018, aged just 19, and has had time to demonstrate his skills as a goalkeeper for the Whites.
Without going any further, the serious injury suffered by Courtois in the 2022-2023 season earned him a place in the history of the club, because Kepa was signed, but he took his place and was key in the League and Champions double that the club achieved that season.
Before that season, he had been seen on rare occasions, and there was speculation that his future might lie away from the Bernabéu, which was logical because he wasn’t getting any playing time. However, he has always been happy at Real Madrid and has never considered leaving.
But after a great season with the Whites, he returned to the bench once Courtois recovered from his injuries. Perhaps he deserved to be in the final of the fifteenth, but illness spared Ancelotti from making a decision based solely on sporting considerations. Since then, many clubs have been interested in his services, and Mendes has done his best to find him a destination where he will be assured of being the guardian of the goal.
Lunin stays at Real Madrid
But for Andriy Lunin, nothing has changed: first of all, he feels very comfortable living in Madrid and is well adapted to the discipline at Real Madrid and the city. Secondly, he believes in his chances, because he has already proven that he can be the starting goalkeeper. He knows that Courtois is ahead of him and that taking his place is almost an impossible task, but he also knows that the Belgian goalkeeper does not have much football left in him and that, if he holds on a little longer, he could end up being the starting goalkeeper in the coming years. And he has no problem sacrificing his place in the starting line-up after so long, because he is confident that his time will come and that he will be able to perform well enough to earn his place between the sticks.
Lunin’s contract
Lunin has his future at Real Madrid well secured. The Ukrainian goalkeeper has a contract until 2030, so any departure would have to be agreed with the club, allowing him to look to the future without too many worries.
This contract is also a sign of the club’s confidence in him, because they have faith in his qualities and consider him the ideal person to defend the goal in the absence of the first-choice goalkeeper.
In recent years, especially in the 2023-24 season, he has earned the respect and trust of each and every member of Real Madrid, which allows him to view the future with a certain degree of optimism. He knows he will have to keep working hard, and that Courtois’ future departure does not guarantee him the starting spot in goal for the next few years, but he is confident he can achieve it.
So Lunin is here to stay. The goalkeeper is not going anywhere and will continue to prepare himself over the next few years to defend a very important goal.