As a fully paid-up member of Real Madrid’s recent Champions League-winning teams, it’s a sad sight to see Keylor Navas now routinely occupying the bench at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The 32-year-old Costa Rican is nowhere close to seeing out his final days as a goalkeeper, and, frankly, deserves better treatment than he’s received of late.

Under Zinedine Zidane, Navas was virtually ever-present and despite the best efforts of Florentino Perez to oust him, the custodian remained as first choice.

Zidane even dug his heels in when it appeared that Real had cut a deal with Athletic Club for Kepa Arrizabalaga, the Frenchman insistent that he neither wanted or needed the younger man.

Coming after the debacle of the failed swap deal with David De Gea, Navas could be excused for not wanting to give of his best for Los Blancos. As it was, giving his best was something that the keeper always did… and still does.

No matter that he’d not seen La Liga action for four months before being called up by Santiago Solari this season, the Costa Rican worked with the same cheerful demeanor he always has, a quality that continues to endear him to his teammates.

But how did it come to this? 

Arriving at the club in 2014 initially on loan, Los Blancos paid his buyout clause a season later and allowed Iker Casillas to depart. With such big boots to fill, it was never going to be an easy baptism for Navas.

Therefore, it’s to his immense credit that Real barely missed “San Iker.” 

Navas became the very first Costa Rican and Central American to ever play in, and win, a Champions League final (2015-16), and his first appearances in that season’s tournament saw him not concede a goal in his opening eight matches, and only three in Real’s 11 games overall, keeping nine clean sheets in the process.

A double-winning campaign followed during which time Navas become the first Costa Rican to reach 100 appearances in the Spanish league. 

His excellency between the posts ensured that it was a foregone conclusion he’d pick up the CONCACAF Player of the Year award for the second time in his career, so it made little sense for the club to then go after Kepa the following January.

He earned another Champions League title for good measure, again playing the fullest part in the Whites’ run to the final in Kiev, before Real felt the need to tinker with their custodians and decide on one for the Copa Del Rey and another for the league and Champions League.

Eight saves in the 2018 semifinal against Bayern Munich, the highest ever in a Champions League knockout game, was the main reason why the Bavarians once again fell short when it mattered.

Although all of the plaudits often fell Cristiano Ronaldo’s way, without Navas’ consistency and excellence, there’s no chance that Real would’ve done the three-peat.

Perez and his board got their way this past summer, signing Thibaut Courtois from Chelsea, with De Gea no longer a viable option.

The Belgian, ridiculously awarded the best keeper at the World Cup, didn’t get straight into the lineup because Zidane’s replacement, Julen Lopetegui, clearly agreed with the Frenchman’s assessment of Navas’ credentials.

When he departed, it was made clear to Santiago Solari, promoted from the Castilla coach’s role (as Zidane had been years before), that installing Courtois as No.1 was imperative.

He’s done OK at best, but has been found wanting on a number of occasions and is certainly not in the form one would expect.

Furthermore, his form should dictate that he’s nowhere close to deposing his predecessor, but, far from feeling hard done by, Navas has accepted the changing of the guard with the good grace that has defined his career.

You can’t help but think that Real have scored an own goal with their treatment of a keeper who will leave the Spanish capital at the end of the current campaign with his head held high.

Jason Pettigrove is an experienced freelance football journalist, editor, and published author who specializes in La Liga and the major European leagues. Find him on Twitter @jasonpettigrove.