Change in Thibaut Courtois’s personal life could have impact on Real Madrid rumors

While I’m not a huge fan of delving too deep into the personal lives of players — it’s far too easy to judge someone with limited information — this bit of confirmed news from Thibaut Courtois does possibly have some transfer market repercussions, since Courtois’s love for and ties to Spain are usually cited as a chief reason for his supposed desire to leave Chelsea one day and return to the Spanish capital (specifically to Real Madrid).

Courtois’s long-time girlfriend and mother of his child (soon to be children, apparently) is Spanish and combined with Thibaut’s stated love for the country, have fueled many of the constant transfer rumors. But as Courtois confirmed yesterday to Belgian newspaper HLN, who had been following up on rumors in the Spanish press from the weekend, he had been separated from his girlfriend since September.

“In September we decided to split up, on amicable terms. We still love each other and we get along very well, but we don’t have a romantic relationship anymore.”

-Thibaut Courtois; source: HLN via 101 Great Goals

Courtois also talks about remaining a responsible father to his daughter and soon to be born son — “their happiness is our first concern” — but he confirmed that his girlfriend had moved back to Madrid following the separation (putting those rumors of house-hunting into a different perspective), while he’s continued to live in London.

This doesn’t necessarily rule out an eventual move from Chelsea to Real Madrid, but it does lend more weight to the shifting narrative of Courtois loving life at Chelsea, in London, where spring apparently feels amazing.