Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois gave an interview to Cadena SER. In the fourth part of the exclusive interview, Courtois spoke about his childhood dream of joining Real Madrid, his emotions when he joined Real Madrid in 2018, and his past with Atlético Madrid.

He then returned to Madrid, joining 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. He said it was a dream come true because he had dreamed of playing for Real Madrid since childhood. When he first started playing football, Real Madrid was his favorite club back in Belgium.

To be honest, it wasn't from age five. Back then it was Club Brugge, 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 Real Madrid, and of course, I watched their matches.

My mother is a physiotherapist, and she had a regular client who came to Bernabéu two or three times a year. He would often bring me Casillas shirts. I had a huge Bernabéu flag in my room. Funnily enough, I think a colleague named Adra mentioned this when I joined Real Madrid. He had seen a documentary about me on a small local television channel in Belgium, and the flag in my room appeared in that footage.

However, when I joined Atlético Madrid, he obviously didn't include that part, because it might have been a bit awkward. But actually, it wasn't just Real Madrid; I also had Chelsea flags and other teams' flags in my room. A kid growing up in Belgium naturally has many idols and different teams.

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

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

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

I remember after the Lisbon final, I returned to Chelsea. I saw Sergio Ramos on a huge Sky Sports billboard celebrating, and I thought, "God, now I have to watch celebrations like that." Of course, every year you try and hope that one day you might get there. But reaching a Champions League final isn't easy, it's really difficult, and winning the final is even harder. So when the Paris final (2022) came around, I felt I had to win.

That Champions League was yours, that Champions League was full of comebacks, and in a way, it was also yours because you made so many crucial saves. I've watched many documentaries and interviews with Modric, Kroos, and other players, and they all say, "With Courtois, it's like a small child is shooting at me." In other words, they had the feeling that you would never let the opponent score.

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

You also spoke about Atlético Madrid. You said that over time, you have a different perspective on that experience. You said, "It was good that a colleague didn't publish that photo when I was at Atlético." I recall you joined Atlético Madrid in 2011, that summer when Manzano was coaching. Especially later, when you returned to Wanda Metropolitano to play for Real Madrid, you faced a lot of criticism and hostility in those early encounters. Do you ever wonder now if, given the chance, you would take back the statement "I'm on the right side of history"?

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

No. Because that statement had nothing to do with them. I think some people interpreted it as being 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.

At that time, the journalist asked me about the match between Liverpool and Real Madrid. There was a final in 2018, and I simply said I was on the right side of history. In my mind, I wasn't thinking about anything from eight years prior. So some people easily connected the statement, but that's not what it was.

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

That experience made me love Spain, gave me two wonderful children, and made me love Spain and Madrid. So that period left me with many beautiful things. Therefore, I will never speak ill of Atlético Madrid. After I returned here, I felt there were many Atlético fans, and sometimes I run into them on the street, and they ask me, "Why did you leave?" But I left because of injury.

I think some people may not have understood that. I understand the rivalry between the two clubs. But from day one, they threw things like rats at you, and all sorts of things happened in the stadium. Of course, sometimes my performance on the pitch can also be quite aggressive, because that's part of the match. But if you're willing to give something to your opponent, you also have to be able to handle their reaction.

That's how it goes. Derbies are always great matches. We now... last year we lost, and this year we also lost. When we face them again at Bernabéu, I hope we can get revenge. But I actually quite enjoy these kinds of matches. Even some booing isn't too serious, or some things related to the derby that happen on the pitch, I'm fine with it. That's football.

But if someone throws a lighter or something, then it's different, because that can actually hurt you. Besides, ultimately it's just football.

The other day's match seemed to be the first time since you returned to Wanda Metropolitano that you weren't the center of so much attention. There were also far fewer reports about you in the days leading up to it.

That's true, but think about it, I left in 2014, and now it's been 12 years. We can't keep repeating the same thing. Ultimately, football moves on, and so have they. That experience will always be part of history, because I won titles and trophies with that team and achieved those results. That's all there is to it.

I think many things happen every day, and many players move on. Ultimately, what really matters is the fans, whether they're Real Madrid fans, Atlético fans, or fans of other teams. I think fans are what's most important. As players, we can only do our best to add our own chapters to the club's history and become part of it. That's all there is to it.

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