Iker Casillas

Iker Casillas - Overview:

Early Life:

• Born on May 20, 1981, in Móstoles, Spain.
• Dubbed "San Iker" ("Saint Iker") for his remarkable saves.

Playing Career:

• Real Madrid (1990–2015):Began career with Real Madrid youth team.
• Made first-team debut in 1999 at 18.
• Youngest goalkeeper to play in and win the Champions League final (1999).
• Won two Champions League and La Liga titles in the first three seasons.
• Achieved over 1000 professional career matches.
• Record for most clean sheets in the UEFA Champions League.
• Won numerous domestic and international titles with Real Madrid.
• FC Porto (2015–2020):Joined FC Porto in 2015 on a free transfer.
• Won Primeira Liga and Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira titles.
• Broke records for consecutive seasons and most appearances in UEFA Champions League.
• Ended playing career in February 2020 after a heart attack in May 2019.

International Career:

• 167 international caps for Spain.
• First-choice goalkeeper at the 2002 World Cup.
• Captain from 2008 onwards.
• Led Spain to victory in Euro 2008, World Cup 2010, and Euro 2012.
• Won Yashin Award for best goalkeeper in the 2010 World Cup.
• Represented Spain at four World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014).

Individual Achievements:

• Placed fourth in the 2008 Ballon d'Or.
• Selected for UEFA Team of the Year six consecutive times (2007–2012).
• Named in FIFPro World XI a record five times for a goalkeeper.
• Awarded IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper a record five times.
• Named second-best goalkeeper of the 21st century and the past 25 years by IFFHS.

Post-Playing Career:

• Works as a football commentator for RTVE, Movistar Plus+, and Azteca Deportes.

Iker Casillas - Early Life:

• Born on May 20, 1981, in Móstoles, province of Madrid, Spain.
  • Parents:Father: José Luis Casillas, a civil servant in the Ministry of Education.
  • Mother: María del Carmen Fernández González, a hairdresser.
• Family origin: Both parents originally from Navalacruz, Ávila.
• Basque Connection: Casillas and his brother Unai have Basque forenames due to their grandfather's posting in Bilbao, where their father grew up.

Family Background:

• Casillas has a younger brother named Unai, seven years his junior, who played as a central midfielder for CD Móstoles.
• Family Connection to Basque Region: Paternal grandfather, an officer in the Civil Guard, was posted to Bilbao, leading to family ties to the Basque region.
• Childhood: Casillas lived in Bilbao as a small child before the family moved to Madrid.

Anecdote from Childhood:

• At seven or eight years old, Casillas forgot to post his father's football predictions for the weekend.
• His father had correctly predicted all 15 results, resulting in the family missing out on an estimated €1.2 million (£1 million).

Iker Casillas - Club Career:

Real Madrid:

Early Years:

• Casillas joined Real Madrid's youth system, La Fábrica, in the 1990–91 season.
• Called up to the senior team at age 16 (1997), making the bench against Rosenborg in the UEFA Champions League.
• La Liga debut at age 18 in 1999, becoming the youngest goalkeeper in the Champions League.
• Became the youngest goalkeeper to play and win a Champions League final at 19, defeating Valencia in May 2000.

2001–2010:

• Lost starting position in 2001–02 but reclaimed it in the 2002 Champions League Final, helping Real Madrid win.
• Fruitful 2007–08 season: won La Liga title, received Zamora Trophy, awarded a contract for life.
• Equalled Paco Buyo's appearance record (454) for a goalkeeper in February 2009.
• Speculation about transfer to Manchester City in 2009 denied by the club.
• Outstanding save against Sevilla in 2009–10 season praised by peers and media.

2010–2015:

• Named first captain after the departure of Raúl and Guti in 2010–11 season.
• Won IFFHS Best Goalkeeper award four times consecutively (2011–12 season).
• Captained Real Madrid to La Liga title in 2011–12 and Champions League win in 2014.
• Captained Real Madrid to UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup wins in 2014.
• Returned as the first-choice goalkeeper for the 2014–15 season.

Porto:

2015–2019:

• Criticized exit from Real Madrid in 2015; joined Porto on a two-year deal.
• Broke records at Porto, becoming the player with the most Champions League appearances.
• Won Primeira Liga title in 2017–18, renewing contract for another year.
• Suffered a heart attack during training in May 2019, discharged after recovery.
• Returned for pre-season training in July 2019, took on a role with Porto's coaching staff.
• Officially announced retirement from professional football on August 4, 2020.

Post-Retirement:

• Returned to Real Madrid as an advisor for Florentino Pérez in July 2020.
• Appointed as the deputy to the Real Madrid Foundation CEO in December 2020.

Iker Casillas - International Career:

Youth Career:

• Debuted for Spain at the under-17 level and was the youngest player in the squad at the 1997 FIFA U-17 World Championship.
• Captain of the U17s and won the FIFA World Youth Championship and UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup in 1999.
• Became the first-choice goalkeeper for Spain following impressive club performances.

Senior Debut, Euro 2000, and 2002 World Cup:

• Full senior international debut on June 3, 2000, against Sweden.
• UEFA Euro 2000: An unused substitute.
• 2002 FIFA World Cup: Initially understudy to Santiago Cañizares but became first-choice due to Cañizares' injury.
• Made key saves during the 2002 World Cup, earning the nickname "The Saint," but Spain was eliminated in the quarter-finals.

Euro 2004 and 2006 World Cup:

• Played all Euro 2004 qualifying matches and featured in the 2006 World Cup, captaining the team twice.
• Spain lost to France in the Round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup.

Euro 2008:

• Given the captain's armband for Euro 2008.
• Led Spain to victory, saving penalties in the quarter-final shootout against Italy.
• Spain won the competition, and Casillas was the first goalkeeper-captain to lift the UEFA European Championship trophy.

2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup:

• Played in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, finishing third.
• Became Spain's most capped player in 2011.
• Captained Spain to their first World Cup title in 2010, voted the tournament's best goalkeeper, and awarded the Golden Glove.

Euro 2012:

• Led Spain to victory in Euro 2012, becoming the first player to reach 100 international wins for his country.
• Set a record of 509 minutes without conceding a goal in the European Championship.

2013 Confederations Cup and 2014 World Cup:

• Represented Spain in the 2013 Confederations Cup.
• Featured in the 2014 World Cup, where Spain was eliminated in the group stage.

Euro 2016:

• Kept a clean sheet in his 100th game as Spain's captain in Euro 2016 qualifying.
• Played his 167th and final international match in a pre-tournament friendly; was the second-choice goalkeeper during Euro 2016.

2018 World Cup:

• Left out of the 2018 FIFA World Cup squad.
• Hinted at a possible return to the Spain football team and Real Madrid in November 2018.

Career statistics;

References;

1. "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010: List of Players" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). 4 June 2010. p. 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
2. "Casillas: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
3. "Iker Casillas, portero del Real Madrid" [Iker Casillas, Real Madrid's goalkeeper]. El Mundo.
4. "Get to know... Unai Casillas". Una Madridista. 28 September 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
5. "Casillas y el Athletic" [Casillas and Athletic] (in Spanish). Iñaki Anasagasti Blogs. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
6. Lowe, Sid (7 June 2004). "Casillas eyes win to unite a nation and repay a debt". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
7. McDermott, Gerry (16 June 2004). "In off the post: Casillas drops a clanger on lottery". Irish Independent. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
8. "Iker Casillas – the Real... interview". Following Real Madrid... 11 February 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
9. "Tercera División (Grupo 7) 1998–99" (in Spanish). Arquero-Arba. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
10. Yokhin, Michael (31 October 2017). "Meet Mile Svilar, the youngest keeper in Champions League history". ESPN FC. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
11. "Real Madrid's Iker Casillas: Making my debut against Athletic Bilbao is the greatest memory I have". Goal. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
12. "Iker Casillas Fernández Profile, Statis, News, Game Log". ESPN Soccernet. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
13.  "The Champions League's greatest ever goalkeepers". UEFA. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
14. "Real crowned champions of Europe". BBC Sport. BBC. 15 May 2002. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
15. "Madrid win ninth European crown". UEFA. 15 May 2002. Archived from the original on 6 June 2002. Retrieved 8 April 2016.

Iker Casillas Legendary Moments 😵;

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