Real Madrid and Belgium No. 1 Thibaut Courtois, who spent seven years as a Chelsea player before moving to the Bernabeu in 2018, hopes his former club will remain strong, no matter who the new owners turn out to be. Ahead of tonight’s UEFA Champions League contest between his current and former clubs, Courtois met the media, where he was asked by reporters about the current Chelsea up for sale situation.
The 29-year-old expressed his hope that the southwest London club remains a global football superpower no matter who purchases the club from Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea vs Real Madrid FYIs
When is it? Wednesday, April 6 2022 8 PM Local Time
Where is it? Stamford Bridge, London
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Real Madrid Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Who’s in form? Chelsea (WWWWL) Real Madrid (WWWLW)
What are the odds? Chelsea (+300) Real Madrid (+100) Draw (+240)
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Right now, the Chelsea bidding war is down to the short list, with the Ricketts family, owners of the Chicago Cubs, among the front-runners. They hold this status despite a large supporter backlash against them.
“It’s been hard for the club and for the fans, you can see that the people that love Chelsea are putting all their energy together,” said Thibaut Courtois.
“The new owners they know the club they’re buying, to keep that spirit, I was part of Chelsea for seven years in total, that’s a big part, even though I went on loan, they gave me the chance to grow myself, to come back, being with Petr Cech, learning from him, winning two Premier Leagues, I hope the new owners understand the club they’re buying and Chelsea can keep being one of the best in the world.”
Courtois, who has won multiple Golden Glove awards, also spoke about the match tonight itself, in general terms.
The former Atletico Madrid man continued:
“I’m in one of the best moments of my career and I hope to keep helping the team to keep clean sheets and making important saves. In the first leg it’s important, we saw in the first leg in Paris, in the second leg everything is possible in the Bernabeu, so I hope it can be a good game and a good result to take it to the Bernabeu.”
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.