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Chelsea fans have criticized former player Thibaut Courtois for provocatively kissing current club Real Madrid’s badge following Tuesday’s (18 April) Champions League clash at Stamford Bridge.
Having secured a 2-0 win in the first leg last week, Real Madrid came to Stamford Bridge for the return leg on Tuesday night. Los Blancos’ first-choice goalkeeper who forced his way out of West London in 2018 was coldly received by the home fans.
The Madridistas secured a straightforward 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday to proceed to the Champions League semi-finals. After the final whistle, Courtois proceeded to collect his water bottle from behind the goal and kissed Madrid’s badge in front of Chelsea fans.
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His reaction has split fans on social media. While Madridistas have been praising the goalkeeper, Blues fans have accused him of forgetting the club that helped him become one of the best in the business.
A couple of supporters wrote:
Two Blues fans, on the other hand, were not impressed with Courtois' antics. They said:
Having served as the Blues’ first-choice goalkeeper for four years, Courtois unceremoniously left Stamford Bridge for Madrid just after the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He initially joined Chelsea from KRC Genk in 2011 but spent three seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid.
Between the 2014-15 and 2017-18 seasons, Courtois played 154 matches for Chelsea in all competitions, keeping 58 clean sheets.
Thibaut Courtois was at his best in Real Madrid’s Champions League win at Chelsea
Real Madrid's jet-heeled right-winger Rodrygo scored two second-half goals (58’, 80’) to propel his team to a 2-0 victory over the Blues at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. Behind the Brazilian, Thibaut Courtois was arguably Madrid's second-best player against the Premier League outfit.
Over the course of the game, the 30-year-old goalkeeper made a total of six saves, with five of those shots coming from inside the box. He also played 17 accurate passes (71% accuracy), made 12 recoveries, and performed nine throws.
His best save of the match came in first-half stoppage time. The Real Madrid no. 1 read the trajectory of the shot and made himself big to keep Marc Cucurella from converting from close range. Had he not reacted as promptly, the hosts could have taken control of the game just before the break.
