PROVING HE IS A KEEPER, FORMER CHELSEA F.C. STAR THIBAUT COURTOIS WEDS MISHEL GERZIG IN A FAIRYTALE FRENCH RIVIERA CHATEAU SETTING

If a fairytale wedding was his goal, footballer Thibaut Courtois certainly scored when he married Israeli model Mishel Gerzig in the most magical of settings.

- ANA CAAVEIRO

With views of the sparkling Mediterranean framed by 25 acres of verdant gardens, there could hardly have been a more enchanting backdrop than the magnificent Château de la Croix des Gardes in Cannes - a location that served as a setting in Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief, starring Grace Kelly, almost seven decades ago.

"It was even better than in our dreams," the Real Madrid goalkeeper, 31, and his new wife tell HELLO!'s sister publication ¡HOLA! of their special day, which took place on 26 June, as they exclusively share their wedding album.

The 26-year-old bride was every inch as breathtaking as her surroundings, radiant in a timelessly elegant strapless gown by May Mashiah, Suarez jewels and shoes adorned with glittering charms bearing the initials "M" for Mishel and "T" for Thibaut.

PERFECT SETTING

Romantic violin music and sprays of orchids the bride's favourite flower and white hydrangeas set the tone for the nuptials as the Spanish club's No. 1, overcome with joy, walked to meet his bride as she glided up the pristine mirrored aisle.

"I was very excited and thinking how beautiful she looked," says the Belgium international, who spent seven years with Chelsea, twice winning the Premier League, before leaving London for Madrid in 2018.

"I had to do everything I could to hold back the tears," says Mishel, who completed her bridal look with a bejewelled veil bearing the words: "A Lifetime with You".