• February 13, 2025

Navas focused on being No.1 as he’s excluded from Costa Rica squad

keylor navas

The battle for who’ll emerge as the undisputed first-choice goal keeper at the Santiago Bernabeu has taken a new turn.

Keylor Navas is apparently being backed by his national team as he was left out of the Costa Rica squad for the upcoming international break.

The decision was made to enable him to remain focused on his quest to be Lopetegui’s favorite.

If Thibaut Courtois had thought he would have it easy and just stroll in to take over between the sticks for Los Blancos, then he’ll definitely be having a rethink at this time.

Navas was excluded from Costa Rica’s squad for games against South Korea and Japan, and there is no cause for alarm as his place as the number 1 goalie of the Costa Rica national team seems assured.

READ: Mariano Diaz on the verge of a return to Madrid

Keylor Navas has been preferred by Lopetegui thus far in Madrid’s two La Liga games which have culminated in wins.

The player will, therefore, be hoping to continue in his fine form and fitness before the break and after the break.

Speaking on his exclusion from the squad for the upcoming internationals, Costa Rica coach Ronald Gonzalez stated:

“We have spoken with the players that are playing in foreign leagues and after the World Cup — some of them joined their teams 15 or 22 days late”

“In some cases, they are dealing with new coaches or others are about to finish their contracts and because of that we decided not to call them up.”

Meanwhile, Navas has played 84 times for his country and has been lauded for his contributions to the side.

His teammate Giancarlo Gonzalez recently described him as Costa Rica’s star player.