“Played through for Robben…This is the chance…Arjen Robben is in.”
“And Arjen Robben has been denied by Casillas! Great miss, or a wonderful save?”
That could’ve been the moment for Oranje, if it was not for the 5’10 Saint, as they hailed him in his beloved city of Madrid. La Roja’s dominance that stretched from 2008 to 2012 could’ve ended in 2010 itself, in a night full of celebrations at Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg. While Andrés Iniesta’s 116th-minute winner made sure Spain were the winners, Iker Casillas’ brave flick to deny Robben made sure the Spanish side was invincible.
Iker Casillas’ career never lacked the kind of heroics he displayed on the night Spanish football took its step to bear the crown. Coming out of La Fábrica, Real Madrid’s famed youth academy, Casillas’ Real Madrid career started early, evident of the quality that he carried from a very young age. The world first knew the man had no fears in front of the goal when he started in Vincente del Bosque’s UEFA Champions League final squad in 2000. Against Valencia was a boy who had just turned 19, keeping the net for Bosque’s men. At the end of the ninety-minutes, Iker Casillas became the youngest-ever goalkeeper to play and win a Champions League final.
The boy who started in Stade de France marked an era for the Whites, serving for more than 15 years in front of the goal and continuing to be at the top of his game. Iker Casillas represented precisely the opposite of what Real Madrid boasted themselves to be made up of. Stubbornly normal and well-behaved, Casillas would resist shots inside the pitch, and make up a good heart outside of it.
Iker’s charisma was so strong, even rival fans loved the man despite him winning five Liga titles and three Champions Leagues for the opposite pole. The individual accolades kept coming in, but all that mattered for San Iker was becoming a person who never forgot where he came from. As he later described in an interview, he was all about bettering himself as a human and then as a goalkeeper. “I don’t want to be remembered as a good goalkeeper or a bad goalkeeper,” he said in an interview later, “I just want to be remembered as a good person, with my faults.”
Despite walking past numerous opponents, denying thousands of opportunities, and shattering hundreds of dreams in his distinguished career, Casillas never developed a cynical image even amongst the rival fans. Instead, all he ever won were hearts and let the respect grow for how he was. In addition to that, Iker Casillas remained one of the few celebrated players, despite a bitter rivalry between the Blaugrana and Los Blancos. Part of the universal love for Casillas came from his illustrious national team spell that started with the 2002 World Cup epic against Ireland. Representing the Spanish national side during the most successful period in their history, Casillas won 167 caps, keeping them up to two European glories and a World Cup triumph. Saint Iker’s achievements perhaps lie innumerable, so does the respect that fans have for him.
But, who would’ve thought that a legend like this will end the service in tears, inside a tiny press-box 25 years after he joined his beloved club? While everyone adhered to the fact Iker Casillas deserved better treatment in his last day at Bernabeu, many people saw this coming. Iker Casillas, despite winning five domestic leagues and three European championships, had a tainted set of issues during his later years at the club. Saint Iker’s internal issues were not so uncommon in Madrid – from Jose Mourinho to President Florentino Perez, speculations signaled the misunderstanding long ago. During the ups-and-downs, what remained constant was the fan’s love and trust in Casillas.
Jose Mourinho got whistled, and the Bernabeu and the club president got booed at his fortress – such was the respect for Casillas that it triggered a wave of counter-current against anyone that reportedly clashed with Casillas. Casillas’ farewell note yet again was subtle and modest, despite everything that he saw in his final days at the club. Before wiping his tears, he thanked all his fans for the unconditional support, and left as the conference concluded.
After making 116 appearances for Porto, Iker Casillas has finally decided to hang his gloves up. Although Casillas hasn’t played since a heart attack in 2019, football fans felt Iker’s perennial presence until his retirement. Seeing him wear another shirt than Real Madrid’s White was one strange thing, but everyone cherished the fact that San Iker was still playing football and simmering smiles between his saves. As he wrote in his retirement post, “The important thing is the path you travel and the people who accompany you, not the destination to which it takes you.”
Now that Iker Casillas has called time on his glorious reign that brought him so much more than he could’ve ever asked for, football might be bidding goodbye to one of the best shot-stoppers in the world, one who was equally good as a human being.