R

eal Madrid legend

Iker Casillas is

expected to make

a special return

tothe Bernabeu

as an adviser, five

years after an

acrimonious exit from the club.

The 39-year-old announced his

retirement from football last month,

having spent the final five years of

his illustrious playing career at Porto.

Unfortunately for Porto and Casillas,

he didn’t make a single appearance

in his final year at the club after

suffering a shock heart attack

in training early last year.

Addressing his 9.1 million followers

on Twitter, the three-time Champions

League winner said: “The important

thing is the path you travel and the

people who accompany you, not

the destination to which it takes you.

I think I can say, without hesitation,

that it has been the path and the

dream destination.”

While he’ll be remembered by most

for his exploits for Real Madrid and

Spain, Casillas also had great success

in Portugal. He made156 appearances

for Porto after joining in 2015, winning

the title in 2017-18 and Portuguese

Super Cup in 2018. He was given a

role on the club’s coaching staff during

his recovery, but never made a return to

the pitch during last season’s double-

winning campaign. His popularity was

summed up by a social media campaign

set up by supporters in a bid to get

him one final appearance before his

retirement. Sadly, Casillas couldn’t

feature due to medical reasons, but

it’s not the first time that he’s been

denied a fairy-tale ending.

Real Madrid released a statement

on their website shortly after the

goalkeeper’s retirement referring to

him as “one of the greatest legends

of our club and world football”, but his

exit fromLos Blancoscertainly didn’t

live up to that title. Casillas made

725 appearances for Real during

a16-year spell at the club, winning

three Champions League titles and

five La Liga crowns. However, after a

couple of difficult seasons underJose

Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, Casillas

was left to say his goodbyes alone in

a press conference – far from the

rousing send-off worthy of a player

who has played more Champions

League games than any other.

Real Madrid president Florentino

Perez was widely criticised by the

club’s supporters at the time, but looks

set to try to redeem himself by bringing

the former icon back to the club five

years on. According to reports, Casillas

will return to the Bernabeu as an

adviser, working directly under Perez.

It seems like the logical next step

for a player who is undoubtedly the

best goalkeeper in the118-year history

of Madrid. However, at one stage, it

seemed as though Casillas might be

set for a different career. He had

considered the possibility of moving

into football politics and running for

president of the Royal Spanish Football

Federation (RFEF). If it wasn’t for the

coronavirus pandemic, this may well

have been an avenue he pursued.

Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos

led the tributes to the goalkeeper

following his retirement. The former

scored17 of his 26 Clasico goals

past Casillas, while the latter is the

only player to have made more

appearances for Spain. The pair were

close team-mates for club and country,

forming the heart of the defence that

won the 2010 World Cup and two

European Championships.

Sam Straw

extension. Furthermore, it looks likely
that Ibrahimovic, Donnarumma and
others such as Leao, Bennacer, Kessie,
Rebic, Calhanoglu and Hernandez will
all be staying. Milan’s future will be
built upon a group of talented young
players, led by one old one.
Some big questions still remain
unanswered, though. Milan is currently
owned by US investment firm, Elliott
Management Corporation, one of the
biggest of its kind and a company
whose business concerns hedge funds,
share prices and profit margins, not
football. Sooner or later, Elliott will
want to sell Milan.
If for some ill-fated reason, the Milan
of Pioli, Ibrahimovic and Donnarumma
does not work out next season, do not
be surprised if we all go back to the
drawing board again. The “Rangnick
Revolution” was not enacted this
spring, the coach was not sacked this
time – but12 months from now, if
seven-time winners Milan are still not
in the Champions League, do not be
surprised if you hear people talking
about a new Milan coach. That may
however, be too late for Rangnick,
whose work in Germany has made
him highly sought after.
Paddy Agnew

FIFA World Cup

(2010)

2x UEFA European

Championship

(2008, 2012)

5x La Liga

(2000-01, 2002-03,

2006-07, 2007-08,

2011-12)

3x UEFA Champions

League (1999-2000,

2001-02, 2013-14)

FIFA Club World Cup

(2014)

Primeira Liga

(2017-18)

Portuguese Super

Cup (2018)

2x UEFA Super Cup

(2002, 2014)

2x Copa del Rey

(2010-11, 2013-14)

2x Intercontinental

Cup (1998, 2002)

4x Spanish

Super Cup (2001,

2003, 2008, 2012)

Most appearances in

the UEFA Champions

League (177)

HONOURS &

ACHIEVEMENTS

Historic moment...

Casillas celebrates

winning the 2010

World Cup against

the Netherlands

with Carles Puyol

Iker Casillas

Real’s greatest keeper set for shock return

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