Filipe Luis says he enjoyed his time at Chelsea but returned to Atletico Madrid after a single season as he ‘didn’t feel at home’ at Stamford Bridge.
The left-back moved to the Premier League in the summer of 2014, with Diego Costa, but came back 12 months later, and explained why to Marca.
“I had a very good experience in England. I went for a lot of reasons, I wanted to try the League and I wanted to prove myself there. I won two trophies but never felt at home,” he recalled.
“Now I can say I’m playing for the club I love, I’m playing for these values and for the shirt. That’s much easier. I’d even put myself in Koke’s situation, who is from the cantera and has that feeling for the club. My departure made me see things I didn’t realise in my first spell and I appreciate that now.”
Costa has been linked with a return to Vicente Calderon and Filipe admits he would like to again play with the Spain striker.
“I love him like a brother. We have this relationship and we’ve always had the love for Atletico. He’s always outstanding and we’ve visited as friends and I have no doubt he would be happy here,” he continued.
“He’s the best No 9 in the world and being here again depends on the club. I’d always want him on my team so hopefully I can play with him again.
“Some players who’ve left Atletico have succeeded but I think it means more to win with Atletico than with others. When you go on the pitch you know if you win there will be three days of complete joy. That doesn’t happen at other clubs. There are clubs with more of a worldwide presence but they don’t feel this pleasure locally.
“It makes you feel important in the club, the city and you always want to meet the level of demand from the fans.”
