Courtois: I want Atleti to beat Chelsea
Atletico Madrid's on-loan goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois revealed that when his side face parent club Chelsea in the Super Cup, he wants the Spanish side to prevail.
By ESPNSTAR.com staff
The Belgian goalkeeper was farmed off on loan last season to Los Rojiblancos who needed a custodian following David de Gea's big-money move to Manchester United.
In the 2011/12 season, the youngster gave a good account of himself, keeping 15 clean sheets in La Liga. This earned him the admiration of Atletico coach Diego Simeone who opted to seek a renewal of the loan, keeping the player at Vicente Calderon for one more term.
Courtois was also part of the squad that beat Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League final and having won the continental competition, he will get a chance to face parent club Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup on August 31 following the London side's win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.
When quizzed on whether he would be content regardless of who won the trophy in the end, the ambitious 20-year-old gave a bold answer.
"It will be a special game, playing against my [parent] club, but I am now at Atletico, and I want to win," he told Spanish daily Marca.
"I have greater feelings for Atletico than Chelsea, whom I respect because they are my parent club."
Courtois has been ear-marked as a long-term replacement for Petr Cech. The Czech international has been an indomitable force for the Blues between the sticks for over eight seasons and therefore, the Atletico keeper could be in for a long wait before getting a shot in the first team.
But the Belgian is more than happy to bide his time and confessed to being glad when he heard that Atletico had moved to extend his loan stay. He has established a good rapport with the club's fans and hopes to put on a good showing once again in the coming season.
"For me it was very easy because I knew I wanted to stay. Personally I am very happy [at Atletico]," he stated.
"I've seen in the social networks that the Atletico fans wanted me to stay. That's very nice."
Courtois made 52 appearances for the Madrid side in his single season on loan, becoming a first team regular following Sergio Asenjo's injury-ridden campaign.