Courtois: I used to be left-back

Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois has revealed that he was not always the world-class goalkeeper that we know him as today, but a fledging left-back!

In an interview with the club’s official website, Courtois, who has earned praise for his performances between the sticks this season, reveals that he started out as a defender.

“I started as a left-back. Because I played volleyball I had good reflexes and I liked to dive, so sometimes I went in goal when we rotated,” said the Belgian.

“I won the best goalkeeper award at a couple of tournaments and the idea grew that maybe I had more future as a goalkeeper than a defender.

“When we started to play 11 against 11 on a big pitch – I was probably 10 or 11 years old – I was pretty much always in goal, but if there were injuries I could fill in outfield.”

The news is bound to disappoint Filipe Luis who, until now, must have thought that he was the Blues’ second-choice left-back behind Cesar Azpilicueta!