It is fair to say that one former Chelsea star made quite the impression on Jose Mourinho before he even got to play under the Portuguese.
Eleven years ago, Chelsea faced Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
The Blues were hoping to reach their first final since winning the competition in 2012, but Atletico had other ideas.
After a 0-0 draw at the Vicente Calderon, Atletico managed to beat Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. Thibaut Courtois, Diego Costa and Filipe Luis all started for the Spanish club that evening before going on to represent their opponents the following season.
Photo by Catherine Ivill/AMA/AMA/Corbis via Getty Images
Photo by Catherine Ivill/AMA/AMA/Corbis via Getty Images
Thibaut Courtois left Jose Mourinho speechless
While Chelsea would go on to sign Costa and Luis from their conquerors, the Blues already had Courtois on their books.
The goalkeeper was at Atletico on loan and was allowed to play against his parent club in that Champions League tie.
Courtois was a bargain for Chelsea, costing the club under £8m, and Mourinho quickly came to realise that after his second-leg performance.
There was one save that the Belgian made in the game that practically left his future boss speechless.
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“One minute in the second half decided everything,” Mourinho was quoted as saying by BBC Sport. “A minute where the Atletico goalkeeper makes an impossible save to a John Terry header then the penalty that kills the game.”
After such a performance, Chelsea had no choice but to include Courtois in their first team for the 2014/15 season.
It was a decision that did not backfire. Mourinho’s men went on to win the Premier League title, with Courtois making 32 appearances. Petr Cech had not passed his sell by date at that point, though, so they probably could have also won the trophy with him.
He would not have liked being dropped for Courtois, but Cech replaced Carlo Cudicini when he arrived at Chelsea, so the retired Czech Republic international would have understood that it is just part of the game.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Who Chelsea wanted to replace Thibaut Courtois with
Eventually, Courtois joined Real Madrid, which some probably saw coming. Before returning to Chelsea, the 32-year-old was already one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Interest from another top club was inevitable as his contract started to run down.
“Courtois is different class,” Chelsea legend John Terry said (via Daily Mirror) when discussing his former teammate in 2015.
To replace him, Chelsea wanted to sign Alisson. But Alisson chose Liverpool instead of Chelsea, a decision he will not regret after everything he has won at Anfield.
As for Courtois, it is disappointing that the Blues did not have him for a bit longer. He is easily one of the most dominant goalkeepers the game has ever seen.