Former Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois knows what his old fans like after winning four major trophies in his seven years at the club—but he also knows how to make their blood boil.
And the Real Madrid stopper proved as much delivering a devastating blow to those Blues supporters who had booed him for much of the first half in Tuesday's Champions League clash. Los Blancos brought a two-goal buffer to the Bridge for the second leg of their quarter-final encounter, with Carlo Ancelotti's side content to head in at the half drawing 0-0 on the night.
And Courtois took his chance to send a message back to those boo-boys and girls in cutting fashion, smooching the Real badge as he went back to grab his water bottle. The No. 1 didn't stick around to wait for a retort as he made tracks for the changing rooms, but it was clear the home contingent wasn't happy.
The gesture was fair considering the levels of jeering Courtois had to endure during the first 45 minutes in front of the Matthew Harding End. Journalist Nizaar Kinsella described the Belgian as the 'pantomime villain' in the spectacle, though he won't see it that way.
"Will always be hated for the manner he left," wrote one disgruntled Chelsea fan, recalling Courtois' refusal to train in order to force a 2018 transfer to Real. The bitterness was evident as another said: "He wasn't good enough for Chelsea so he downgraded to farmers league.
Others saw the funnier side to his actions, however, as one Real loyalist tweeted: "A true Madridista." The two teams' current fortunes couldn't be a lot more contrasting at present, and another social media user posted laughing emojis as they typed: "Chelsea fans really thought they upgraded on Courtois when they signed Kepa."
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As if his half-time dig wasn't a big enough victory, Real sealed another 2-0 victory to cap off a 4-0 aggregate win and book their place in the Champions League semi-finals. They'll face either Manchester City or Bayern Munich in the last four, though it looks all but certain to be Pep Guardiola's side as they bring a 3-0 cushion to Bavaria on Wednesday.
Courtois played a major role for Real as they won both the Champions League and La Liga titles last season, also earning a place in the FIFPRO World XI. Real are firmly in the hunt to extend their record haul of European crowns with a sixth title in 10 seasons, not to mention standing a fine chance at winning the Copa del Rey, where they'll face Osasuna in May's final.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are languishing at 11th in the Premier League and are on their third manager of the campaign, with Frank Lampard serving out the season following Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter's dismissals. If booing Courtois was a tactic to undermine his confidence, it's unlikely to have done the trick.