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Atletico Madrid’s on-loan Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has admitted that he was very relieved to be allowed to play in this week’s Champions League semi-final, despite the fact that he will be lining up against his parent side.
There had been speculation that Courtois would be prevented from playing against the London side, but UEFA have allowed him to play, prompting him to tell the FIFA website of his relief.
“I was very relieved. For me, the fact that we’ve drawn Chelsea, like we did in the European Super Cup in 2012, is special, because even though I’m at Atleti, Chelsea are my club too.
“It’s better not to think about it too much though and play like I always do, because if I start thinking, ‘Oh, I’d better be careful’, then I’ll end up playing poorly.
“I want to win trophies here and I’ll be an Atleti supporter for these two games, but at all other times I’m a Chelsea fan too.
“I hope they win the Premier League, just not these two Champions League matches. I really hope we can reach the final as we’re so close. They’re the favourites, but Barcelona were too.”
Atletico have experienced a dream season so far, challenging for both the Champions League and La Liga. Having won the Super Cup and Europa League already during his time at the club, Courtois admitted that he has been surprised by the success he has had in Spain.
“I didn’t expect it, no. I remember playing my first game in the Belgian league just before turning 17 and dreaming of having a good career over there, but I didn’t imagine playing for a big club or winning trophies like these.
“And now we’re not far away from the most important one of them all, the Champions League.
“We’ve got the Liga title close too which, because of Barcelona and Real Madrid, you never think you’ll get the chance to win.
“They’ve got better individuals but we’re a very good team and that’s important, because you don’t need to rely on any one player to win the championship.
“It’s going to be hard to repeat all this though. We’re having a huge season and, now we’ve got this far, we’ve got to try and take advantage.
“It’ll be tough to take if it ends without us winning anything, but it won’t be for lack of trying.”
