In light of rumours that have surfaced linking Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois with a move to Real Madrid, the stopper has been forced to deny all knowledge of contact with Los Blancos. Having already turned out for Atletico Madrid, the Belgian knows that a move to their cross-city rivals would not be well received by the Rojiblancos faithful. "I never had any contact with Real Madrid," Courtois told El Partidazo de COPE. "I'm happy at Chelsea." As for a possible return to Atletico, the No.1 preferred to praise their current custodian. "Oblak is doing very well at Atletico Madrid," he continued. "There was never talk of a possible comeback."
Courtois also took time to speak about Chelsea teammate and former Atleti striker Diego Costa, as well as coach Antonio Conte. "In the last few games Diego has controlled his temper a little more," he said. "But he is a winner and I prefer to have such a player in my team. "Conte and I want what's best and that's it. "In the dressing room we had a hug and everything was solved."Thibaut Courtois still recognises how important Atletico Madrid were in his development as a person and a player, with the Belgian keeper remembering his formative years spent in Spain.
With Atletico, the keeper won two Zamora trophies individually, and LaLiga, the Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup as a team during his time in the Spanish capital. Here Courtois reflects on Spain, the Premier League, and his time at Atleti in this MARCA exclusive interview:
What did you learn during your time at Atletico Madrid?
At Atleti I learned that what matters is the team. You can only win titles if every player gives their life for their teammates. And that's how it is at Atleti.
Would you like to come back to LaLiga someday?
When I left Spain, I knew that I would return one day.
When?
I have a contract with Chelsea for the next three seasons. In 2018, when I'm in the last year of my contract, I'll evaluate whether it makes more sense to stay or to go.
Do you like how Diego Costa has been playing for Spain?
He has the quality to play with the Spanish national team, but what is happening is that both the Spanish and English press are painting a picture of him that isn't true.
Talk to MARCA about your experience with different coaches, starting with Diego Simeone:
He lives for football and has a huge winning mentality. Everything he puts in, the team gives him back. The way he transmits [ideas, feelings] is incredible, just by speaking he can make you believe and push your limits. And that's what we did. The reason Atletico were better was because we were motivated. We believed and believing is power.
Jose Mourinho?
He works a lot on tactical aspects and is also a winner. He normally gets close to players, but when results don't go his way, like last season at Chelsea, you could feel there was a certain distance.
Antonio Conte?
He's always thinking about football and tactically he is very strong. He knows what he wants out of his teams and he gets his idea across with videos, training, and match simulations that show us that he is right. In other words, we know with Conte that with what we are working on, the matches will go well.
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