Thibaut Courtois' Champions League heroics with Real Madrid and his pre-match comments have led to furious Atletico Madrid fans ripping off a plaque celebrating their former goalkeeper.
The Belgian international made a number of key saves as Carlo Ancelotti's side earned a narrow victory over Liverpool in the showpiece final in Paris. Courtois produce outstanding stops to deny both Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, while Vinicius Jr scored the only goal of the game to settle the contest.
Courtois spent three seasons on loan from Chelsea with rivals Atletico, and was a member of the 2014 side which lost to Real in the Champions League final in Lisbon. Sergio Ramos equalised in injury-time, while extra-time strikes from Gareth Bale, Marcelo, and Cristiano Ronaldo sealed 'La Decima'.
Speaking ahead of the 1-0 win in Paris, Courtois cited Real's pedigree in the competition and their record in finals to suggest he was now on the 'right side' of history. The goalkeeper said: “They’ve [Liverpool] already played one final against Madrid in 2018. It was different for me. Real Madrid, when they play a final, they win it, and so now I’m on the right side of history.”
Courtois' place in Atletico history had been commemorated with a plaque outside the Wanda Metropolitano, an honour bestowed on every player to make more than 100 appearances for the club. However, these pre-match comments led Atletico president Enrique Cerezo to give his seal of approval to irate fans wishing to remove this celebration of their former goalkeeper.
Speaking on Monday, Cerezo told Marca : "If you want to remove Courtois' plaque, go with a pick and a shovel and remove it." Hours later, the Spanish outlet report that the Real Madrid number one's plaque had been 'ripped off' the club's walk of legends.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Was Thibaut Courtois 'disrespected' during his time at Chelsea? Comment below!
Courtois lifted a La Liga title, a Copa del Rey, a Europa League title and a Super Cup during his three-year stint with Atletico. The 30-year-old was also twice honoured with the Zamora Trophy - an award issued to the Spanish top-flight goalkeeper with the lowest goals conceded to game ratio.
It seemingly did not take long for Courtois to respond to his commemoration at Atletico being unceremoniously removed. Marca report that two hours after news about the plaque emerged, the goalkeeper Tweeted a picture holding both the Champions League trophy and the man-of-the-match award with the caption 'Hala Madrid'.
Speaking after the victory over Liverpool, Courtois alleged he had been 'disrespected' by the English media during his four years as Chelsea's number one. He told BT Sport: "Back in England, I don’t get enough respect… so, well, I showed it today. I wanted to put some respect on my name there.
"Today I needed to win a final for my career, for all the hard work, to put some respect on my name, because I don't think I get enough respect. Especially in England. I saw a lot of tweets coming my way that I would get humbled today. It was the opposite."
