Thibaut Courtois responds to Chelsea boos and claims transfer exit wasn't what it seems

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Thibaut Courtois insists he knew the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening "wouldn't be friendly" and has opened up on his Chelsea exit.

Real Madrid beat the Blues 3-1 in west London thanks to a hat-trick from talisman Karim Benzema. The result leaves Thomas Tuchel's side - who are the defending champions after beating Manchester City in last season's final - on the brink of a Champions League exit.

Courtois started the first leg of the quarter-final clash, the first time he's played in front of Chelsea fans since leaving Stamford Bridge for the Bernabeu in August 2018. The Belgian goalkeeper, 29, played against the Blues last year but fans were not in attendance.

"Obviously I knew it wouldn’t be friendly, especially in the stadium," Courtois told BT Sport when asked about the boos. "Maybe if you see some people outside the ground they will be more friendly. It’s obviously part of football, that’s unfortunate because how they painted my departure was not how it went through.

"But I’m happy with the result and I will always care about the special moments here at the Bridge, two leagues… it’s not easy to win two Premier Leagues in four years, so I’m happy for that and the moments here, so what happened today I don’t take it too much."

Courtois signed for Chelsea in the summer of 2011 but spent his first three years of his contract on loan at Atletico Madrid, winning La Liga, the