If there were a blacklist at Atlético de Madrid, Thibaut Courtois would be at the top of that list. No doubt about that. The Belgian wore the Atlético jersey for several key years of the Simeone era, winning an Europa League, a Copa del Rey, La Liga and losing that painful Champions League final in Lisbon. It is precisely in his place of execution that he now plays, taking over the Real Madrid goal shortly after the conclusion of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
His arrival at Madrid caused a huge stir among the Atlético fans, who were hurt by the betrayal of the man who was once their goalkeeper and is now that of their eternal rival. The lack of respect towards Atlético since the day of his presentation caused havoc among their fans, who greet him with whistles and insults every time he comes to the Metropolitano . Recently, the Real Madrid goalkeeper has spoken about the hostility he experiences every time he goes to Atlético and what he thinks about Atlético and its fans.
Courtois attacks Atlético de Madrid fans once again
The Belgian admitted that he feels a little overwhelmed in his duels at the Metropolitano , claiming that the Atlético fans "went overboard with the stuffed rats, the blood and the plaque". Courtois sees everything he experiences on arriving at the Metropolitano as Real Madrid 's goalkeeper as exaggerated, stating that the merengue team is the 'good side of history'. Courtois says that he understands that "it hurts to be at the eternal rival", but that he is shocked by the fact that the situation and his words have been taken to this point.
The truth is that the Real Madrid goalkeeper seems not to understand the void that his move to Chelsea in 2015 caused, and even less the damage he caused in 2018. Coming to Real Madrid and, to make matters worse, speaking badly of what was once his home do not seem to be sufficient reasons to understand the pain of the Atlético fans. Being, as I mentioned before, a public enemy of the Atlético fans, the Belgian knows that it will be impossible to earn the forgiveness of a fan base that he has disrespected.
Irreconcilable
Despite the Belgian trying to 'play dumb' and hide his 'presumed innocence', the Atlético de Madrid fans never forgive anyone who is disrespectful to the club. Courtois , despite having declared that Lisbon left him very upset and having spoken well of Simeone , knows that his forgiveness has no place in a passionate fan base like the red-and-white one. Precisely on this last subject, the Belgian paused for a while in his statements and spoke about the one who was once his coach at Atlético , Diego Pablo Simeone .
Courtois and Cholo Simeone
In his recent statements, Courtois was also asked about Diego Pablo Simeone and what it was like to share a dressing room with him, to which he answered without mincing words. The Belgian placed great emphasis on the motivational talks given by the Argentine coach, which he said had an effect "that convinced you that you were going to win." He highlighted Simeone 's motivational ability as his greatest virtue and stated that with him he learned not to give up and to fight until the end.