Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois was interviewed by Cadena SER. In the fourth part of this exclusive interview, Courtois spoke about his childhood admiration for Real Madrid, his feelings about joining Real Madrid in 2018, and his past with Atlético Madrid.

You later returned to Madrid and joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2018. At that time, Real Madrid had just won three consecutive Champions League titles under Zinedine Zidane, in 2016, 2017, and 2018. You said it was a dream come true because you had dreamed of playing for Real Madrid since childhood. When you started playing football, Real Madrid was your favorite team in Belgium.

Not at 5 years old, to be honest—back then it was Club Brugge, and then Genk. Abroad, there was Real Madrid, Chelsea, and I also liked Manchester United because of Van der Sar. But once I started playing as a goalkeeper, I paid close attention to Casillas, and to Real Madrid as well, and of course, I watched their matches.

My mother is a physiotherapist and had a client who went to the Bernabéu often, two or three times a year. He would bring me Casillas jerseys. I had a huge Bernabéu flag in my room. It's funny—I believe a colleague of yours, Adra, mentioned it when I joined Real Madrid. He had seen a feature about me on a small local television station in Belgium, and the flag in my room was visible in the footage.

But when I joined Atlético Madrid, it certainly didn't show that footage, because it would have been a bit embarrassing. In reality, though, it wasn't just Real Madrid; I also had flags from Chelsea and other teams in my room. A boy growing up in Belgium naturally has many idols and favorite teams.

Ultimately, you dream of joining many clubs and watch a lot of matches. I love football and watch a lot of it, but Real Madrid has always been my dream. It has always been that way. So it's wonderful to be here, and not just to be here.

Did you ever think, after coming here, that you would also win the Champions League? After all, you hadn't won it before.

Of course, that was the goal. But I have to say that you can never take it for granted. Look at Mbappé—he came here, and in the end, Paris Saint-Germain won it twice. That's football.

I remember that after the Lisbon final, I returned to Chelsea. At that time, I saw Sergio (Ramos) celebrating on a giant Sky Sports billboard, and I thought: "My God, now I have to experience celebrations like that too." Of course, every year you give your all, hoping that one day you can make it all the way. But reaching a Champions League final is not easy, it's really difficult, and winning the final is even harder. So when the Paris final came around (2022), I felt that I had to win.

That was your Champions League, that Champions League was full of comebacks, and in a way it was also your Champions League, because you made so many crucial saves. I've read many reports and interviews with Modric, Kroos, and other players, and they all said: "With Courtois, it's as if a child were shooting at me." This suggests they felt you would never let the opponent score.

Yes, but in the end, we still concede goals in some matches. For example, in that home match against Chelsea, we were clearly in a difficult position. But ultimately, in those matches, I managed to make some crucial saves. I think that if you want to go far in a competition or cup, you need to score goals and try not to concede them, but you also need to have an excellent goalkeeper. In the end, that's how it is.

You also mentioned Atlético Madrid earlier. You said that over time, you have a different perspective on that experience. You said: "Good thing your colleagues didn't publish that photo when I was at Atlético." I remember you joined Atlético Madrid in 2011, that summer when Manzano was the manager. Especially later, when you returned to the Metropolitano representing Real Madrid, facing so much criticism and hostility those first times. Do you still think now that if you could, you would retract that statement "I'm on the right side of history" from back then?

Related reading: [Courtois' comment about being on the right side of history in the 2014 final angers Atlético fans]

No. Because that statement had nothing to do with them. I believe some people interpreted it as a stance against Atlético, but it wasn't. If they didn't understand it back then, I can explain it again: that statement was not directed at them at all.

The journalist was asking about the Liverpool-Real Madrid match. There had already been a final in 2018, and I was simply saying that I was on the right side of history. In my mind, I wasn't thinking about anything from 8 years before. So it's easy for some people to connect that statement to something else, but that's not how it was.

I have always had great respect for Atlético Madrid, because that experience made me who I am today. I'm proud of that experience, because I won the Europa League, the UEFA Super Cup, the Copa del Rey, and LaLiga there, and I also reached a Champions League final.

That experience made me fall in love with Spain, and gave me two wonderful sons, and made me love Spain and Madrid. So that period left me with many beautiful things. Therefore, I would never speak badly of Atlético. After coming back here, I feel that there are many Atlético fans, and sometimes I meet them on the street, and they ask me: "Why did you leave?" But I left because of an injury.

I think some people might not understand that. I understand the rivalry between the two clubs. But from day one, they would throw things like mice at you, all sorts of things would happen at the stadium. Of course, sometimes my performance on the pitch might be quite aggressive, because that's part of the game. But if you're willing to give something to your opponent, you also have to be able to handle your opponent's reaction.

That's how it is. Derbies are always great matches. Now we have... last year we lost, and this year we lost too. When we play at the Bernabéu again, I hope we can get our revenge. But to be honest, I really enjoy these matches. Even some booing or some derby-related things that happen on the pitch, I have no problem with that. That's football.

But if someone throws lighters or things like that, it's different, because it could actually hurt you. Apart from that, in the end, it's just football.

The match the other day seems to be the first time, since your return to the Metropolitano, when you weren't the focus of too much attention. There were also far fewer stories about you in the days leading up to it.

Yes, but think about it—I left in 2014, and it's now been 12 years. We can't keep repeating the same thing. In the end, football moves on, and so do they. That experience will always remain in history, because I won league and cup titles with that team, and achieved those results. That's all.

I think a lot happens every day, and many players leave. In the end, what really remains are the fans, whether they're Real Madrid, Atlético, or other clubs. I think the fans are the most important. As players, we can only do our best to add our chapters to the club's history and become part of it. That's all.

Tradotto dall'IA.

Il sito web di AF è ora online! Notizie complete, commenti, dettagli delle partite e statistiche sul tuo computer. Visita: www.allfootballapp.com