Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has stressed ‘there are no bad feelings’ towards Atletico Madrid following Saturday’s derby.
The Belgian goalkeeper’s plaque outside the Wanda Metropolitano (Courtois played over 100 games across three seasons at Los Rojiblancos) was defaced by fans, due to him crossing the city divide, via Chelsea.
“I’ve always been respectful towards rival clubs and fans, so the same will be true towards Atletico,” Courtois told ABC, in quotes cited by Diario AS.
“There are no bad feelings towards the club at all, I spent three seasons at the club, gave my best and won trophies, so everything else is just a small thing that I do not worry about.
“I had no hesitation to join Real Madrid, every player wants to be here and I say that even though I was happy at Chelsea, I enjoyed London and had fantastic teammates.
“There was no desire for me to leave the club but when Madrid declared their interest in me, I knew this was my opportunity that I could not ignore.
“We want to win every trophy we play in, we know we have world class players in every position and are in a strong position to challenge on every front.
“We have already won the Club World Cup this season and want to add to it, we want more.”
