Tears, a 9 minute statement and Iker Casillas called time on his career at Real Madrid. A token farewell was organized by Florentino Perez to show the world “Yes, we treat our legends with respect” but I doubt anyone bought it.
I knew this day would come, indeed watching Iker crumble and suffer after Mourinho’s laughable and utterly petty decision to drop him for Adan for “Technical reasons” a part of me wished that he would move on and like Raul at Schalke enjoy the last few seasons of his career away from the madness that is Real Madrid.
Looking back on his career everyone should ask themselves does the good outweigh the bad? In Iker’s case it far exceeds anything bad he has done at Real Madrid. A huge reason why the mid-table quality, ridiculously average, Real Madrid of the mid-00s were even remotely competitive was because Iker was the difference between losing and scraping a win.
People say Buffon, Cech, etc are all better keepers than Iker. Indeed there are keepers who are superior to Iker in many things. Organising the defense, dealing with crosses, etc were all things Iker was not particularly good at. But that isn’t why he is called San Iker. The iconic image of Iker Casillas will always be of an opposition attacker who has broken through the usual laughably inept Real Madrid defense and is bearing down on goal. He takes a shot which is destined for the top corner and yet somehow Iker gets a hand, thigh, elbow, face, knee, toe or any possible body part to it and saves a certain goal. The opposition attacker is immaterial really.
Be it the humiliating defeats meted out by Ronaldinho’s Barcelona, the disaster at Anfield, the painful shows put on by Pep and Messi it was often only Iker who walked away as the difference between Madrid losing 4-0, 4-1, 6-2 and Madrid being humiliated by a double digit score.
This is a keeper who has played 3 Champions League finals, 2 EURO finals, 1 World Cup final and conceded one goal. Let that sink in. Most keepers would consider conceding one goal in 6 games a great record, he did it in 6 of the biggest games in world football. His calamitous mistake in the 2014 Champions League final nearly cost Madrid La Decima but his 22 minute substitute appearance was the reason Real Madrid won La Novena. If Zidane’s volley is considered the goal of the Champions League finals, Ikers performance was no less legendary. A dominant Leverkusen who smelt blood were kept at bay by the sheer force of will of a 21 year old kid. Those 22 minutes and the subsequent crunch saves all gave birth to the legend of San Iker.
Gracias San Iker Casillas!
