Thibaut Courtois has hit back at Chelsea fans who booed him during the Champions League quarter-final tie. The Belgian spent seven years at the west London club – although he was on loan at Atletico Madrid for the first three seasons.
Courtois received a hostile reception on his return to Stamford Bridge, with fans booing him during the hosts’ 2-0 win (4-0 on aggregate) and chanting ‘traitor’.
The 30-year-old responded by making some excellent saves – celebrating a Marc Cucurella strike before the break – and appeared to kiss the Real Madrid crest on his shirt at the end of the game in front of the home fans.
Courtois has now defended his actions and says he will not change his behavior as long as he continues to receive such abuse from fans who once chanted his name. “It’s okay. As I’ve said before, it’s obviously unfortunate. I spent four beautiful years here, I will never forget it, I know I owe a lot to Chelsea. So it’s definitely unfortunate that it’s like this now,” he concluded.