Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has admitted that he is “certain” to return to Madrid one day – and it is looking increasingly likely that it will happen at the end of the season.
Real are likely to undergo a squad revolution during the summer as a result of their disappointing performances this term, and one man who they are likely to find a replacement for is current first-choice keeper Keylor Navas.
From impossible to probable
At one time, the thought of Belgian ace Courtois joining Los Blancos seemed impossible.
The Belgian shot-stopper previously spent three seasons at heated rivals Atletico Madrid and even mocked the Spanish giants during trophy celebrations. When Atleti memorably defeated their cross-town rivals during the 2013 Cope del Rey final at the Santiago Bernabeu, Courtois poked fun at Real’s fans in a song while his then club were celebrating.
All in all, Courtois went on to make 154 appearances for Rojiblancos before becoming first-choice for Chelsea at the start of the 2014-15 season.
Courtois: Madrid is “where my heart lies”
However, the 25-year-old is in love with the city of Madrid and recently admitted that that is where his “heart” lies. His children and their mother still reside in the Spanish city and the possibility of being closer to his children will surely be something that is appealing to him.
With Courtois’s current contract at Stamford Bridge set to expire at the end of the season, he recently admitted that he would consider a move to Madrid.
“My personal situation is related to the city of Madrid,” he said in an interview with Sport/Foot in Belgium. “My two children live there with their mum. I have my daughter every day on FaceTime. She often tells me that she misses me. My son is still too small to communicate like that.
“Whenever I have the opportunity, I try to return to Spain. As a situation, it is not always easy. Yes, my heart is in Madrid. It is logical and understandable.
“If Real want me, they have to contact Chelsea. We’ll see. But they have not done that. What is certain is that one day I will return to Madrid. I love Spain, I love the city, I spent three wonderful years there. It is there that I became an adult.”
Header image by Ben Sutherland [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
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