Keylor Navas was heavily criticized last season when he committed a couple of important mistakes, including conceding an early goal against Napoli from a long distance shot or the goal scored by Arturo Vidal against Bayern Munich after a corner kick. However, Zinedine Zidane gave him confidence and he’s back at a great level this season.
The Costa Rican goalkeeper was also very important in the last games of the last season. After facing criticizing and some booes from Real Madrid supporters, he made a couple of good saves in the Champions League final -especially a shot from Pjanic– and was a key player in the final games of the season in La Liga.
Navas has also started great this season. In the Spanish Supercup he only conceded a goal from a from the penalty spot but saved many chances. In La Liga, he even saved a penalty against Deportivo la Coruña and against Valencia he made great save in free kicked shot by Dani Parejo.
His good level is also been seen with his national team. Costa Rica obtained a great victory against USA in the North American qualification group for the World Cup (0-2). Navas was one of the best players of the team, including a superb save after a shot from Bradley.
The next game with Real Madrid will be very special for him. Navas will go back to Levante’s ground, where he shone and won the right to play at Real Madrid. However, his last game with Costa Rica will be on Wednesday (3:05, UK Time) against Mexico. Navas will arrive to the Spanish capital on Wednesday evening and Real Madrid host Levante on Saturday afternoon (12:00, UK Time). Therefore, it’s very likely that Zidane gives Casilla the opportunity to play that game and Navas will rest on the bench to be ready for the Champions League debut against APOEL.
