Belgian magazine Sport/Foot published an interview with Thibaut Courtois this week — it's unclear when exactly the interview was conducted thought it's clearly recent — and even though it contains absolutely no new information, it’s generating juicy headlines and thus causing panic, confusion, anger and all the usual side-effects of Courtois talking to the media. He always tell it like it is, and that’s hard for many to handle.
In any case, the headlines you’ve undoubtedly been seeing are about his “heart being in Madrid”. This of course we already knew — there’s a reason Cesc Fàbregas calls him an honorary Spaniard — and it’s specifically because both his children live their with their mother. Obviously, Courtois would like to see his children a bit more often than he does now (in person, not just Facetime), even if he’s not together with his ex-girlfriend anymore.
“My personal situation is related to the city of Madrid, it’s known. My two children live there with their mom. I have my daughter every day on Facetime. She often tells me that I miss her. My son is still too small to communicate like that.
“Whenever I have the opportunity, I try to make a return trip to Spain. As a situation, it is not always easy. Yes, my heart is in Madrid. It is logical and understandable.”
But Courtois’s making it work, as he has been for some time. In fact, he quite specifically talks about his Chelsea contract talks, which were delayed until this month as Chelsea’s January turned out to be a but busier than anticipated.
Presumably, the same goes for Eden Hazard, with the two Belgians talking last month about how their Chelsea fates are linked together. When one signs, the other one will as well, or so they say. Courtois claims there’s a bit of joking in there — classic Eden — but one gets the feeling this is actually quite serious (and it should, so let’s get it done).
“We agreed to meet again in February because the club had more urgent issues to deal with in January. I am under contract until 2019. Normally, there is no problem, I will prolong. I am happy here and I see a direction that still wants to win a lot of titles.
“The signals are positive. Just their desire to extend also Eden Hazard, that reassures me.
“I said that [our fates are linked] by joking but we think a little bit both, anyway. When you talk about Barça, for everyone, it’s Lionel Messi. When you talk about Real, it’s Ronaldo. And when you talk about Chelsea, for 90% of people, it’s Eden Hazard. Look at the number of times it makes the difference.”
Those quotes from last month obviously did not stop the Real Madrid rumors, and these quotes are certainly not going to do that either. But Courtois knows this is all just part of the game — and we really should know this by now, too — and says there are no concrete offers or interest right now.
“I understand that the rumours are coming back today, as we are talking about a new guardian there. But I do not pay much attention to that, I stay focused on Chelsea.
“I do not know [if there is real interest]. If they want me, they have to contact Chelsea. We’ll see. But they never did it. What is certain is that I will one day return to Madrid. I love Spain, I loved this city, I spent three wonderful years there. It is there that I became an adult. Atletico was a real group of friends. We went out together, my teammates taught me a language I did not know at all when I arrived. When I left, I cried. My first days in London were not simple. England, when I arrived, it was colder, more business. Now, I feel very good here. I found my marks very well.”
Surprised the bit about crying in London hasn’t found its way into a headline yet.
In any case, Courtois’s family situation could obviously play a role at some point in his future, just as his love of Spain can and will. He’s said many times that eventually he will return — key word eventually. For now, the 25-year-old is concentrating on helping to steady the Chelsea ship (do note that he was the only one to speak on camera after Monday’s debacle to reassure, refocus, and support the head coach) and is actively looking to extend his Chelsea contract.
What more do we want?
“If Real is really interested, my personal situation could affect, yes. The family aspect, it is priceless.
“But I repeat to you that, for the moment, I’m busy talking to Chelsea to extend.”
-Thibaut Courtois; source: Sport/Foot via Express
Courtois is finishing up his third season at the Bridge, with hopefully many more to come. Let’s get this done so we can stop talking about this same story every few weeks.