Thibaut Courtois’ plaque has been ripped out at Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium after Real Madrid’s Champions League triumph.
The former Chelsea keeper delivered an outstanding performance in the Champions League final on Saturday as his key saves helped Real Madrid secure a 1-0 victory over Liverpool at the Stade de France.
But, Courtois angered Atletico fans during his post-match interview as he referenced their defeat to Real Madrid in the 2014 Champions League final.
‘I think I said yesterday in the press conference that when Madrid goes to finals, we win them. I’m on the good side of history,’ Courtois said.
Courtois has a plaque outside Atletico’s stadium as he is among the players who have played at least 100 matches for the club. But on Monday, Atletico president Enrique Cerezo gave fans the go-ahead to get rid of the plaque.
‘If you want to remove Courtois’ plaque, go with an axe and shovel and remove it,’ he told Spain’s COPE radio.
And that’s exactly what one Atletico supporter has done as there is now a gap where Courtois’ plaque was initially placed in the Walk of Legends part of the stadium.
Courtois spent three years with Atletico, helping the Spanish club win La Liga, the Copa Del Rey and the UEFA Europa League during his time at the club.
Meanwhile, Courtois also hit out at the criticism he faced from English media after winning the UEFA Champions League.
‘I saw a lot of tweets coming my way today saying that I will be humbled, but I think it was the other way around,’ he said.
‘Today I needed to win a final for my career, for all the hard work – to put respect on my name because I don’t think I have a lot of respect in England.’
