How Thibaut Courtois angered Chelsea fans during Real Madrid clash
By Sean Walsh
Thibaut Courtois hardly endeared himself to the fans who used to adore him during Real Madrid's 2-0 win at Chelsea on Tuesday night.
Los Blancos secured their place in the semi-finals of this year's UEFA Champions League with a 4-0 aggregate win against the Blues.
The tie saw Courtois paired with his former club for a third successive season, with this being his second return to Stamford Bridge in front of fans.
Chelsea supporters have held a grudge against the Belgian after he forced a move to Real Madrid back in the summer of 2018, refusing to show up for pre-season.
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Courtois won two Premier League titles with Chelsea but he sought to let Blues fans know that his allegiances belong with Real Madrid.
After his name was booed by home supporters before kick-off, Courtois was filmed kissing the Real Madrid badge in front of the Matthew Harding Stand, much to the annoyance of those in the blue corner.
Thibaut Courtois kisses the Real Madrid badge in front of the Chelsea fans. pic.twitter.com/awcGiRq5Zu
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) April 18, 2023
Courtois kissing the Real Madrid badge to #CFC fans 😂😂👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/xtIX6OWfpZ
— Notorious 🏴 (@Notorious2023) April 19, 2023
Thibaut Courtois just kissed the Real Madrid badge in front of the Matthew Harding End. Big save from Cucurella. You pantomime villian ladies and gentleman, can he be beaten in the second half? 0-0 at half-time.
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) April 18, 2023
Courtois kissing the Real badge in front of the Chelsea fans is prime Gazprom
— James (@JLloyd_20) April 18, 2023
Unfortunately, all of the comments from actual Chelsea fans are too vulgar and aggressive to actually include in this article. This is a family website.
Courtois had received a similar hostile reception during last year's return to Stamford Bridge, taking the opportunity at the time to assert his success in west London.
"Obviously I knew it wouldn’t be friendly, especially in the stadium," he said in April 2022.
"Maybe if you see some people outside the ground they will be more friendly. It's obviously part of football, that's unfortunate because how they painted my departure was not how it went through.
"I will always care about the special moments here at the Bridge, two leagues…it's not easy to win two Premier Leagues in four years, so I'm happy for that and the moments here, so what happened today I don't take it too much."
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