One of the most hated figures in Atletico Madrid’s history, Thibaut Courtois is still honoured at the club’s stadium, but maybe not for much longer.
The Real Madrid goalkeeper has a plaque outside of the Metropolitan Stadium on the ‘Paseo de los Centenarios’ thanks to his 154 games for the LaLiga giants, but it may soon be removed.
The Belgian reached world-class status with Atleti, winning the league, a Europa League, a European Super Cup and a Copa del Rey during his three-season loan from Chelsea.
However, after heading back to Stamford Bridge, he then returned to Spain with Real and instantly became a figure of hate.
It wasn’t just playing for Atleti’s fiercest rivals that did it, it was also constant jibes in the media and on the pitch.
Things reached a boiling point last time the clubs faced off in September and Courtois goaded the crowd after Eder Militao’s opener.
Objects were then thrown at him, leading to a 15-minute delay in the game and a war of words in the media.
Courtois plaque, which had already been abused and even removed by fans in 2022 before being replaced, took another beating, being spat at and urinated on.
As a result, it’s now been reported by Mundo Deportivo that the removal of the plaque was addressed at Atleti’s social commission where club executives meet with fan leaders to improve conditions.
Under their recommendation, the ‘Paseo de los Centenarios’ or ‘Walk of Centurions’ is already being renamed to the ‘Paseo de los Leyendas’ or ‘Walk of Legends’ so that players like Courtois who qualify for their 100 appearances can potentially be removed.
The change is clearly designed for Courtois, but could well end up being extended to players like Joao Felix who saw his plaque defaced after joining Barcelona and continually insulting Diego Simeone in the media.
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