Iker Casillas Fernández (; born 20 May 1981) is a Spanish former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugb ...

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting ...

and currently works as a football commentator. Popularly dubbed "''San Iker''" ("Saint Iker") for his ability to produce spectacular saves, Casillas is widely considered to be one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. He is known for his athleticism, quick reactions and outstanding shot-stopping ability. Having spent the majority of his career at

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

, Casillas is one of the few players to achieve over 1000 professional career matches, and holds the record for the most clean sheets in the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

, as well as for the Spain national team. Currently, he works for

RTVE The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española, S.A. (; ), known as Radiotelevisión Española or RTVE, is the state-owned public corporation that assumed in 2007 the indirect management of the Spanish public radio and television service kno ...

Movistar Plus+ Movistar Plus+ (formerly Movistar+) is the trade name of the subscription platform for digital television owned by Telefónica, which operates in Spain. The service is distributed via optical fiber and ADSL and as well as with satellites such as ...

and

Azteca Deportes Azteca Deportes (currently known as TV Azteca Deportes) is the sports division of Mexico's TV Azteca television network. It produces sports events and regular sports programming aired on the Azteca Uno and Azteca 7 networks in Mexico and now on Es ...

. At club level, Casillas started his career with the Real Madrid youth team, eventually gaining promotion to the main team in 1999, where he became the youngest goalkeeper to play in the final of the Champions League, and to win the title, at 19 years and four days. Casillas became the first choice goalkeeper at Real Madrid, winning two Champions Leagues and La Liga titles in his first three seasons, establishing himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. During his highly successful career in Madrid, Casillas won all major club titles, including five

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Banco Santander, Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaL ...

titles, four

Supercopa de España The Supercopa de España or the ''Spanish Super Cup'' is a super cup tournament in Spanish football. Founded in 1982 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2019–20 by four teams: the winners and runners-up of ...

titles, two

Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...

titles, three

s, two

UEFA Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...

s, two Intercontinental Cups and the

FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...

. After 25 years with Real Madrid, Casillas joined FC Porto in 2015 on a free transfer, where he won the

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...

and a

Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira The Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (; English: Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, or simply Portuguese Super Cup) is an annual Portuguese football match played since 1979 between the winners of the Portuguese League (Primeira Liga) and Portuguese ...

title. While at Porto, he broke the record for most consecutive seasons played in the UEFA Champions League (20) and amassed the most appearances in the competition (177). He ended his playing career in February 2020, after almost a year on the sidelines following a heart attack he suffered during a training session with Porto in May 2019. With 167 international caps, Casillas has the second most appearances for the Spain national team, making him the joint tenth- most capped footballer of all time. An unused substitute at

UEFA Euro 2000 The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, also known as Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Championship, a football tournament held every four years and organised by UEFA, the sport's governing body in Europe. The finals tournament wa ...

, Casillas became the nation's first choice goalkeeper at the

2002 World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...

, and went on to play at

UEFA Euro 2004 The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football competition contested by the men's national teams of UEFA member associations. Th ...

and the

2006 World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...

. In 2008, he was made

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, and went on to lead the team to the European Championship title that year. Casillas also led Spain to their first World Cup win in 2010, where he kept a joint–record five clean sheets, winning the

Yashin Award At the end of each FIFA World Cup final tournament, several awards are presented to the players and teams who have distinguished themselves in various aspects of the game. Awards *There are currently five post-tournament awards from the FIFA ...

for the best goalkeeper of the tournament. Spain became the first nation to retain the European Championship, winning the title again in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, where he set the record for most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal in the competition (509). In 2014, Casillas became one of four players to represent Spain at four World Cups. In 2008, Casillas placed fourth overall in the

Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual football award presented by French news magazine '' France Football'' since 1956. Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year (f ...

, and has been selected for the

UEFA Team of the Year The UEFA Fan's Team of the Year is a football award given by UEFA through a poll on its official website. This award started in 2001 and allows users of the organization's website to choose their own eleven players and a coach based on their ove ...

six consecutive times from 2007 to 2012, a record for a goalkeeper. Casillas was also selected in the FIFPro World XI a record five times for a goalkeeper, and was named as the

IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper The IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper is a football award given annually since 1987 to the best goalkeeper of the year as voted by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). The votes are cast by IFFHS's editorial staff ...

a record five times, alongside

Gianluigi Buffon Gianluigi Buffon (; born 28 January 1978) is an Italian professional footballer who captains and plays as a goalkeeper for the club Parma. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. He is one of the few recorded pl ...

and

Manuel Neuer Manuel Peter Neuer (; born 27 March 1986) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper and captains both club Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the ...

. He was named as the second-best goalkeeper of the 21st century, behind Buffon, and the second-best goalkeeper of the past 25 years by the same organisation.

Early life

Casillas was born on 20 May 1981 in

Móstoles Móstoles () is a municipality of Spain located in the Community of Madrid. With over 200,000 inhabitants, it is the region's second most populated municipality after Madrid. Móstoles was a small town for a long time, but expanded rapidly in the ...

province of Madrid The Community of Madrid (; es, Comunidad de Madrid ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. It is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, and of the Central Plateau (''Meseta Central''). Its capital and largest munici ...

, to José Luis Casillas, a civil servant in the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

, and María del Carmen Fernández González, a hairdresser. Both his parents had moved from their home of Navalacruz,

Ávila Ávila (, , ) is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila. It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m ab ...

. Casillas has a brother, seven years younger, named Unai, who used to play as a

central midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for

CD Móstoles Club Deportivo Móstoles was a Spanish football team from Móstoles, a city in the southern metropolitan area of Madrid. Founded in 1955 and dissolved in 2012 it played its last season in Tercera División, holding home matches at ''Estadio El ...

. The brothers' forenames are of

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

origin due to a family connection to the region: their paternal grandfather – an officer in the

Civil Guard Civil Guard refers to various policing organisations: Current * Civil Guard (Spain), Spanish gendarmerie * Civil Guard (Israel), Israeli volunteer police reserve * Civil Guard (Brazil), Municipal law enforcement corporations in Brazil Historic ...

– was posted to

Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...

and settled in the city, their father grew up there as a result and Iker also lived in the area as a small child before the family relocated to Madrid. On one occasion as a young child, when he was seven or eight, Casillas forgot to post his father's football predictions for the weekend; his father had correctly predicted all 15 results, and the family lost out on an estimated €1.2 million (£1 million).

Club career

Real Madrid

Early years

Casillas began his career in Real Madrid's youth system, known as La Fábrica, during the 1990–91 season. On 27 November 1997, at age 16 and still a junior, he was first called up to the senior team squad to face Rosenborg in the

, although he remained on the bench throughout. After spending a season with the C-team in the fourth tier, during which they won their regional group, he came into contention as the club's first-choice between the posts. In starting the

1999–2000 UEFA Champions League The 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League was the 45th season of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA's premier European club football tournament, and the eighth season since its rebranding from the "European Champion Clubs' Cup" or "European Cup". The com ...

group stage fixture against Olympiakos on 15 September 1999, he became the youngest goalkeeper ever to feature in the competition at the time, aged 18 years and 177 days; a record which was only broken in October 2017 by

Mile Svilar Mile Svilar ( sr-cyr, Миле Свилар; born 27 August 1999) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Roma and the Serbia national team. Club career Early career and Anderlecht Svilar is a product of ...

. Three days earlier, Casillas had made his

debut in a 2–2 draw against

Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country of Spain. They are known as ''Los L ...

at San Mamés Stadium. In May 2000, he became the youngest ever goalkeeper to play in and win a Champions League final when Real Madrid defeated

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

3–0, just four days after his 19th birthday.

2001–2010

Casillas lost his place in the side to backup

César Sánchez César Sánchez Domínguez (; born 2 September 1971), sometimes known as simply César, is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. In 20 La Liga seasons, he played 401 games, with Valladolid, Real Madrid, Zaragoza, Valencia a ...

after poor performances in the 2001–02 campaign, but redeemed himself when Sánchez suffered an injury in the final minutes of the 2002 Champions League Final. Casillas came on and pulled off several key saves to deny a rampant

Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, t ...

the Champions League crown. Real Madrid won 2–1. Saca Iker Casillas (3869018560)

The 2007–08 season was a fruitful season for Casillas, as he helped Real Madrid reclaim their 31st

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

and conceded only 32 goals in 36 matches to claim the Zamora Trophy. On 14 February 2008, he and club captain Raúl were awarded contracts for life; Casillas signed a contract extension that would keep him at the club until 2017, with an automatic extension if he played 30 competitive matches during the final season of the contract and a buy-out clause of £113 million. His performances earned him a spot in the

for the second time. In February 2009, Casillas equalled Paco Buyo's record of 454 matches played for a goalkeeper and has since surpassed it to become Real Madrid's most-capped goalkeeper of all time at only 27 years old. During the 2009 summer transfer window, some Spanish media reported that

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

had launched a record £129 million bid for the goalkeeper. The club denied the rumours, however, saying that no such offer had been made.

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

had been rumoured to have enquired about him, but no price was announced. He had been linked with other

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

clubs before but Casillas himself stated that he "had no intention of leaving" his boyhood club. During the 2009–10 season on 4 October in a game against

Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

, Casillas made an extraordinary save, running from one side of his goal to the other to deny Diego Perotti in a one-on-one, close-range encounter. After the match, he received praise from fellow Spanish goalkeepers and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

goalkeeper

Gordon Banks Gordon Banks (30 December 1937 – 12 February 2019) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he made 679 appearances during a 20-year professional caree ...

, who stated, "Casillas' reflexes are incredible. If he continues to play this well he will become one of the best goalkeepers in the history of the game." ''

Europa Press The Europa Press was a publishing house founded and run by the Irish surrealist poet George Reavey. The press was based in Paris from its inception in 1932 until 1935, when Reavey moved to London. It ceased operation in 1939. The Europa Press i ...

'' reported that Casillas was the second-most popular Spanish sportsman on the Internet in 2010. The study performed by company Vipnet360 examined the web presence on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

2010–2015

During the 2010–11 season, after the departure of first and second captains of Real Madrid, Raúl and Guti respectively, Casillas was selected as first captain with new vice-captains

Sergio Ramos Sergio Ramos García (; born 30 March 1986) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Spain national team. Known for his aggressive play, he is widely regarded as one of the g ...

Marcelo Marcelo is a given name, the Spanish and Portuguese form of Marcellus. The Italian version of the name is Marcello, differing in having an additional "l". Marcelo may refer to: * Marcelo Costa de Andrade (born 1967), Brazilian serial killer, rapi ...

and

Gonzalo Higuaín Gonzalo Gerardo Higuaín (; born 10 December 1987) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed ''El Pipita'' or ''Pipa'', Higuaín was a prolific striker, known for his eye for goal, strong physique, and o ...

. During the 2011–12 season, Casillas won the IFFHS Best Goalkeeper award, making him only the second goalkeeper behind

to win it four times and the only goalkeeper to win the award four times in a row. Casillas played his 600th match for Real Madrid on 22 January 2012 in a 4–1 win against Athletic Bilbao. On 2 May 2012, Casillas clinched his fifth La Liga title and his first as a captain of Real Madrid, with a 3–0 win in Bilbao. On 22 December 2012, Casillas was dropped by

José Mourinho José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix GOIH (; born 26 January 1963), is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Italian Serie A club Roma. Once dubbed "The Special One" by the Britis ...

for a Liga match against

Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most po ...

in favour of

Antonio Adán Antonio Adán Garrido (; born 13 May 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Primeira Liga club Sporting CP. A youth product of Real Madrid, where he acted mainly as a backup, he spent most of his career with ...

. This was the beginning of a series of sour disagreements between the Portuguese coach and the player, some of which, along with other internal affairs, were allegedly aired to the press by Casillas himself. This generated a shift in the opinion of certain sectors of Real Madrid's fans, who gave Casillas the nickname "''topor''" (a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsmole" and "goalkeeper," respectively). During the 2012–13 season, Casillas won the IFFHS Best Goalkeeper Award for the fifth consecutive time, making him the only goalkeeper in history to have ever won that award five times (in a row). In January 2013, after a serious injury to Casillas, Mourinho signed Diego López from Sevilla. López was named first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Adán and kept his place in the team even after Casillas had returned from injury. After the 2012–13 season, Mourinho left Madrid and soon after his departure, Spanish midfielder

Andrés Iniesta Andrés Iniesta Luján (; born 11 May 1984) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and is the captain of J1 League club Vissel Kobe. Considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Iniesta has spent most of hi ...

criticised him for benching Casillas. In the middle of 2013, it was announced that

Carlo Ancelotti Carlo Ancelotti , (born 10 June 1959) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of La Liga club Real Madrid. Regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, Ancelotti is the most decorated manager ...

would be Real Madrid's head coach for the 2013–14 season. Real Madrid started the season with a 2–1 victory over

Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito ...

in which Casillas was benched once again. He made his first start in 238 days in the Champions League group stage match against

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

, but was injured in the 14th minute after Sergio Ramos caught him with an accidental elbow as the goalkeeper came from his line to make a routine catch. Despite being the club's second-choice 'keeper in

, behind Diego López, Casillas continued to be Madrid's first choice keeper in the Champions League and

, setting a new record of 962 minutes without conceding a goal in the latter competition. In February 2014, he became the first goalkeeper to play in every round of the

prior to the final without conceding a goal. On 16 April, he captained Madrid in

the final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

as they beat rivals

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

2–1 at Valencia's

Mestalla Stadium Mestalla Stadium ( es, Estadio de Mestalla , ca-valencia, Estadi de Mestalla ) is a football stadium in Valencia, Spain. The stadium is the home of Valencia Club de Fútbol and has a capacity of 48,600 seats, making it the 8th-largest stadium i ...

. On 24 May 2014, Casillas captained Real Madrid in the 2014 Champions League final, winning the title for the third time in his career with a 4–1 win over

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based i ...

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

; this was the tenth time Real Madrid had won the trophy. Although

Diego Godín Diego Roberto Godín Leal (born 16 February 1986) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Argentine Primera División club Vélez Sarsfield and captains the Uruguay national team. Regarded as one of the best defe ...

's opening goal resulted from an error by Casillas, Sergio Ramos tied the match for Real Madrid in injury time; the club went on to win the title in extra-time. Following the Champions League win, the 2014–15 season saw Casillas return to being the club's first choice goalkeeper, despite competition from new arrival Keylor Navas, as he then went on to win the

, with Real Madrid defeating Sevilla 2–0 on 12 August 2014. He then also won the

later that year, making his 700th appearance for Madrid on 20 December 2014, in the

2014 FIFA Club World Cup Final The 2014 FIFA Club World Cup Final was the final match of the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup, a football tournament hosted by Morocco. It was the 11th final of the FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament organised by FIFA between the winners of the six contin ...

, as Real Madrid defeated

San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...

2–0. In May 2015, Casillas played in the Champions League semi-finals against Juventus, in which his team lost 3–2 on aggregate.

Porto

2015–2019

After much speculation about his future, on 11 July 2015 Casillas signed with Portuguese

side

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropo ...

on a two-year deal with the option of a one-year extension. Real Madrid's conduct in his exit was criticised, with Casillas' parents claiming that he was being forced out of the club by president

Florentino Pérez Florentino Pérez Rodríguez (; born 8 March 1947) is a Spanish businessman, civil engineer, former politician, and the current president of Real Madrid as well as Chairman and CEO of Grupo ACS, a civil engineering company. He was also the first ...

, who received calls to quit from fans. Former international teammate

Xavi Xavier Hernández Creus (born 25 January 1980), known as Xavi is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of La Liga club Barcelona. Widely considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Xavi was ...

, who earlier that summer left Barcelona after a similarly long and successful career, claimed that Real Madrid were ungrateful of Casillas' service to the club. Casillas made his Primeira Liga debut on 15 August, keeping a clean sheet in a 3–0 win over Vitória de Guimarães at the Estádio do Dragão. On 29 September 2015, he overtook Xavi to become the player with the most appearances in the Champions League, making his record 152nd Champions League appearance in a 2–1 home win over

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

. That season, Casillas also broke

Edwin van der Sar Edwin van der Sar (; born 29 October 1970) is a Dutch football executive and former professional player who is currently the chief executive of AFC Ajax, with whom he began his senior playing career in the early 1990s; he is considered to be a m ...

's record for the most clean sheets in Champions League history, keeping his 51st clean sheet in the competition on 20 October 2015, in a 2–0 win over

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

, as his team climbed top of Champions League Group G. In January 2016, he was blamed for the away loss at Vitória de Guimarães (1–0) in the

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

, following a high-profile error. On 11 March 2017, Casillas set a new personal record for clean sheets in a single season with his sixteenth clean sheet in a 4–0 away win over Arouca. On 14 March, Casillas made his 175th appearance in UEFA club competitions in a 1–0 away defeat to Juventus in the second leg of the round of 16 of the

, overtaking

Paolo Maldini Paolo Cesare Maldini (; born 26 June 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer who played primarily as a left back and centre back for AC Milan and the Italy national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of a ...

as the player with the most appearances in European club matches. On 13 September, Casillas equalled

Ryan Giggs Ryan Joseph Giggs (né Wilson; 29 November 1973) is a Welsh football coach and former player. Regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Giggs played his entire professional career for Manchester United and briefly served as ...

's record of playing in 19 consecutive UEFA Champions League campaigns when he appeared in Porto's 3–1 home defeat to

Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, ...

in the 2017–18 edition of the tournament. On 2 April 2018, Casillas played his 1,000th match as a professional in Porto's 2–0 loss at

Belenenses Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses, commonly known as Os Belenenses (), is a Portuguese sports club best known for its football team. Founded in 1919, it is one of the oldest Portuguese sports clubs. It is based in the 25,000-seat Estádio do Reste ...

. In May, he won his first trophy with the club as they won the league title for the first time since 2013. The

2017–18 Primeira Liga The 2017–18 Primeira Liga (also known as Liga NOS for sponsorship reasons) was the 84th season of the Primeira Liga, the top professional league for Portuguese association football clubs. Benfica were the defending champions for a fourth conse ...

title was confirmed after

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...

and Benfica tied their respective match. On 17 May 2018, he renewed his contract with Porto for another year. On 4 August, Casillas started in Porto's 3–1 victory over Desportivo das Aves in the

2018 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira The 2018 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira was the 40th edition of the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira. It was played on 4 August 2018 at the Estádio Municipal de Aveiro between the winners of the 2017–18 Primeira Liga, Porto, and the winners of ...

. He surpassed Giggs' record during the 2018–19 season, appearing in his 20th consecutive UEFA Champions League campaign. On 11 December, Casillas, in a 3–2 away win over Galatasaray, became the first player to reach the knock-out stage 19 times, and become only the second player after Cristiano Ronaldo to win 100 Champions League matches. He made 31 league appearances throughout the season as Porto finished in second place, but his season was cut short after he suffered "an acute myocardial infarction" during training on 1 May 2019. He was discharged from hospital on 6 May, but commented that he was uncertain about his future.

2019–2020

In July 2019, following his heart attack two months earlier, Casillas returned for pre-season training. Later that month, Porto announced that he had been given a role with the club's coaching staff as he continued his recovery. In August, he was named in Porto's squad for the 2019–20 season. In September, he shared the results of his medical tests on social media; at the end of the month, he stated that he would wait until March of the following year to see how he is progressing with his recovery before deciding whether to return to playing or retire. In October, he posted a photo of himself working out in the club's gym on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

. He resumed training on 4 November.

Retirement

On 4 August 2020, Casillas officially announced his retirement from professional football. In July, he was reported to have returned to Real Madrid to work as an advisor for

. In December 2020, he was appointed as the deputy to the Real Madrid Foundation CEO.

International career

Youth career

Casillas debuted for Spain at the under-17 level. At age 16, he was the youngest player in the Spanish squad that placed third at the

1997 FIFA U-17 World Championship The FIFA U-17 World Championship 1997, the seventh edition of the tournament, was held in the cities of Cairo, Ismailia, Alexandria, and Port Said in Egypt between 4 September and 21 September 1997. Players born after 1 January 1980 could partici ...

in Egypt. He was later made captain of the U17s. Two years later, he went on to win the

FIFA World Youth Championship The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members’ men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 wh ...

and the

UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup The UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup was a football tournament that featured national teams from Europe and Africa among players under 18, and was part of the co-operation programme between UEFA and the CAF. Meridian Project The UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup ...

that same year. Initially second-choice, he soon worked his way up to first-choice and eventually earned his first senior cap following some brilliant performances at club level.

Senior debut, Euro 2000 and 2002 World Cup

Casillas is currently the second most capped player in the history of the Spain national team. Following his full international debut at the senior level on 3 June 2000 against

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

(at 19 years and 14 days), Casillas was an unused substitute at

. He was part of the roster for the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

, initially as the understudy to

Santiago Cañizares José Santiago Cañizares Ruiz (; born 18 December 1969) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a goalkeeper, currently a rally driver. A product of Real Madrid's youth academies, he eventually joined the first team but proved unable to ...

. Coincidentally, he became first-choice when Cañizares had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury from a freak accident. At 21, Casillas was one of the youngest first-choice goalkeepers in the tournament. He played an instrumental role in Spanish progression when he saved a penalty in regulation time and two more in the 3–2 shoot-out victory during the round of 16 match against the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. ...

(1–1 after 120 minutes), earning him the nickname "The Saint". One of his saves during the quarter-final against co-hosts

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

during the 2002 World Cup was rated by

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

as one of the top ten saves of all time; however, Spain were eliminated following a 5–3 penalty shoot-out defeat to the Koreans (0–0 after 120 minutes).

Euro 2004 and 2006 World Cup

Casillas played in all eight Group six fixtures during

Euro 2004 The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football competition contested by the men's national teams of UEFA member associations. The ...

qualifying, conceding just four goals. He kept a clean sheet in the second leg victory of the playoff against

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

which ended 3–0 in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, and started all of Spain's Euro 2004 matches. He was the first choice for the

, captaining the team twice, but could not prevent ''La Roja'' from losing 3–1 to a

Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the mos ...

-inspired

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in the Round of 16.

Euro 2008

With the exclusion of his Real Madrid teammate Raúl from the squad for

Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of Europea ...

, Casillas was given the captain's armband. He started the first two

Group D Group D may refer to: * FIA Group D - International Formula racing cars: ** Formula Two ** Formula Three ** Formula 3000 * One of six or eight groups of four teams competing at the FIFA World Cup ** 2022 FIFA World Cup Group D ** 2018 FIFA Wo ...

games against

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

and Sweden before being rested in place of second-choice goalkeeper

Pepe Reina José Manuel "Pepe" Reina Páez (; born 31 August 1982) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Villarreal. The son of famed Barcelona and Atlético Madrid goalkeeper Miguel Reina, Pepe Reina began his ...

for Spain's group stage elimination of

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

. Casillas saved two penalties from

Antonio Di Natale Antonio Di Natale (; born 13 October 1977) is an Italian fotball coach and former professional player who played as a striker. After being a member of the Empoli youth side since 1994, Di Natale started his professional career with the Empol ...

and

Daniele De Rossi Daniele De Rossi (; born 24 July 1983) is a former Italian professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder and is currently manager of side SPAL. He is mostly known for his time playing with his hometown club Roma in Serie A, as ...

as Spain eliminated

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

in the quarter-finals with a 4–2 shootout win following a goalless draw on 22 June. Spain later went on to win the competition with a 1–0 win over

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

on 29 June. Casillas kept clean sheets in all of the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches, with Sweden's first round goal by Zlatan Ibrahimović being the last one scored against him. On 29 June 2008, Casillas became the first goalkeeper-captain to lift the

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA). The competition is conte ...

trophy when Spain beat Germany in the final. In October 2008, Casillas and back-up Pepe Reina broke the national record for the longest time spent without conceding a goal. The pair went unbeaten for 710 minutes, longer than Spain's longest-serving goalkeeper

Andoni Zubizarreta Andoni Zubizarreta Urreta (, ; born 23 October 1961) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. The all-time most capped player for the Spain national team for several years, he played with individual and team succ ...

and Paco Buyo. Wesley Sonck of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

ended their goalless streak when he scored against them a 2010 World Cup qualifying match. Casillas was the highest-ranked goalkeeper (fourth place) in the

2008 Ballon d'Or The 2008 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in the world as judged by an international panel of sports journalists, was awarded on 2 December 2008. Cristiano Ronaldo won the award, being his first of five. His win also began a 10-year ...

, behind

Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pl ...

Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the g ...

and national teammate

Fernando Torres Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Atlético Madrid Juvenil A. Due to his consistent goalscoring rate as a young player, ...

. Also in 2008, Casillas was named the world's best goalkeeper by the

International Federation of Football History & Statistics The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...

(IFFHS). He also came in third place in the best goalkeepers of all time ranking, beating

Oliver Kahn Oliver Rolf Kahn (; born 15 June 1969) is a German football executive and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team in 1975. Twelve years later, Kahn made his debut match in t ...

2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup

Casillas was Spain's starting goalkeeper during the

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Jo ...

in South Africa, making four appearances as Spain finished the tournament in third place. On 5 September 2009, after a 5–0 win over Belgium in a qualifying match for the World Cup, Casillas equalled Andoni Zubizarreta's national record of 56 clean sheets, and during the team's next match, against

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

on 9 September 2009, he surpassed Zubizarreta as the record holder for the most Spanish international clean sheets (this being achieved in Casillas' 98th appearance for the national team, while Zubizarreta made 126 before his retirement). Two months later, Casillas made his 100th appearance for Spain in its friendly win over

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

, making him only the third player in history of Spanish football to ever reach this far internationally. Casillas besando la Copa del Mundo de fútbol

Casillas besando la Copa del Mundo de fútbol

Although Casillas committed an error which led to a goal in Spain's 1–0 defeat to Switzerland in their opening match of the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

, on 11 July 2010, Casillas captained Spain to their first ever World Cup title with a 1–0 win against the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in extra-time. In so doing, he became the third ever goalkeeper to captain a World Cup winning side (along with

Gianpiero Combi Gianpiero Combi (; 20 November 1902 – 12 August 1956) was an Italian footballer who played as a goalkeeper.1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maxi ...

and

Dino Zoff Dino Zoff (; born 28 February 1942) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is the oldest ever winner of the World Cup, which he earned as captain of the Italian national team in the 1982 tournament, at th ...

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...

; the feat was later also achieved by

Hugo Lloris Hugo Hadrien Dominique Lloris (born 26 December 1986) is a French professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Tottenham Hotspur and the France national team. He is a three-time winner of the National Union of Professional Footba ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

). He was voted the tournament's best goalkeeper, being named to the 2010 World Cup Dream Team, and was also awarded the Golden Glove. In the course of the finals in South Africa, he kept a joint–record five clean sheets – all of which came in the knock-out stages –, only conceded a joint–record two goals, and saved a penalty in regulation time in the quarter-final victory against

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to t ...

. In the

, he made two crucial stops from Netherlands'

Arjen Robben Arjen Robben (; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger. He was known for his dribbling skills, speed, ball control and long-range shots. Robben is regarded as one of the best players of his gener ...

with the score at 0–0 after the Dutchman had passed all the defenders. Before he went to pick up the World Cup trophy, Casillas would later state that images of the past captains doing the same was in his head, reeling them off in perfect order going back to the first World Cup he saw as a youngster: On 15 November 2011, Casillas became Spain's most capped player, breaking Andoni Zubizarreta's record after starting for Spain in their 2–2 draw against

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

. On 29 February 2012, in Spain's 5–0 win over

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, Casillas equalled Edwin van der Sar's record of 72 international clean sheets. On 30 May, in Spain's 4–1 win over South Korea, Casillas came on for Pepe Reina on the 82nd minute mark. This set the record for most international victories with 95 giving Casillas yet another record to his name. On 6 June, In Spain's 1–0 win over

China PR China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, Casillas set the record for most international clean sheets with 74.

Euro 2012

Prior to

Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...

, there had been growing tensions in the dressing room among Spain's players who played for rival clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid; this led manager

Vicente del Bosque Vicente del Bosque González, 1st Marquess of Del Bosque (; born 23 December 1950) is a Spanish retired football manager and former player. He is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time and is to date the only football manager to ha ...

to declare that any player who carried this hostility with them at international level would be dropped from the team. As such, Casillas,

Carles Puyol Carles Puyol Saforcada (, ; born 13 April 1978) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played his entire career for Barcelona. He mainly played as a central defender, but he could also play in either full-back position, mostly as a ri ...

, and Xavi called a summit with the manager and the team's players, in order to ease tensions; Casillas was praised in the media for his role in successfully uniting the dressing room. On 1 July 2012, Casillas became the first player to reach 100 international wins for his country as Spain defeated Italy 4–0 in the Euro 2012 final, as Spain successfully defended their title to win their third consecutive major international trophy. He also set another record with his 509 minutes without conceding a goal in that year's European Championship, keeping five consecutive clean sheets and breaking the longstanding tally of 494 minutes set by Italian goalkeeper

. The only goal he conceded, scored by Antonio Di Natale, came in Spain's opening match of the tournament, a 1–1 draw against eventual runners-up Italy. Casillas then continued his new record unbeaten streak with Spain to 817 minutes, until it was finally broken by

Olivier Giroud Olivier Jonathan Giroud (born 30 September 1986) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for club AC Milan and the France national team. Regarded for his work-rate, strength, acrobatic strikes, shot power, consistent goal-s ...

's injury-time goal on 16 October of that year, which came in a 1–1 home draw against France in a 2014 World Cup qualifying match.

2013 Confederations Cup and 2014 World Cup

In June 2013, Casillas represented Spain at the

2013 Confederations Cup The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup was the ninth FIFA Confederations Cup, which was held in Brazil from 15 to 30 June 2013 as a prelude to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The most recent winners of the six continental championships appeared in the tourna ...

in Brazil, making three appearances as Spain reached the

, only to be defeated 3–0 by the hosts Brazil on 30 June, at the

Maracanã Stadium Maracanã Stadium ( pt, Estádio do Maracanã, standard Brazilian Portuguese: , local pronunciation: ), officially named Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho (), is an association football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The stadium is part o ...

. In June 2014, Casillas was selected to represent Spain in his fourth

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

. In the team's opening match, he made two mistakes leading to goals from Stefan de Vrij and

Robin van Persie Robin van Persie (; born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former professional footballer who played as a striker. Regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, Van Persie was known for his excellent technique and ball c ...

as the champions were defeated 5–1 by the Netherlands. After the match, Casillas apologised for the defeat and called his performance the worst of his career. He also started in Spain's second group game against

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

, which they lost 2–0 and were subsequently eliminated from the World Cup. He received criticism for his role in Chile's second goal, where he punched

Alexis Sánchez Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez (; born 19 December 1988), also known mononymously as Alexis, is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Marseille and the Chile national team. He is often lauded as the g ...

's free kick into the path of the goalscorer

Charles Aránguiz Charles Mariano Aránguiz Sandoval (; born 17 April 1989) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the Chile national team. With his former club Universidad de Chile, Aránguiz w ...

. On 23 June, Casillas was left on the bench for Spain's final game against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, with Pepe Reina playing instead.

Euro 2016

On 5 September 2015, Casillas kept a clean sheet in his 100th game as Spain's captain, a 2–0 Euro 2016 qualifying win over

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

at the Estadio Carlos Tartiere in

Oviedo Oviedo (; ast, Uviéu ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city. Oviedo is located a ...

. On 13 November, Casillas kept his 100th international clean sheet with Spain in a 2–0 friendly win over England, in Alicante, becoming the first goalkeeper ever – male or female – to reach this landmark. He equalled the Latvian

Vitālijs Astafjevs Vitālijs Astafjevs (born 3 April 1971) is a Latvian former professional football midfielder, and current assistant manager of Aris Limassol having previously held the role for the Latvia national team. Astafjevs won nine Latvian championships ...

' European record of 167 caps on 27 March 2016 by playing in a friendly against

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. On 31 May, Casillas was named to Vicente del Bosque's final 23-man Spain squad for

Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...

. The following day, he became the most-capped European player by earning his 167th cap in a 6–1 friendly win over South Korea in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...

in a pre-tournament warm-up match; he was later replaced by debutant Sergio Rico in the second half. This was his final international appearance. During the tournament, he was the second-choice goalkeeper behind David de Gea; Casillas did not make an appearance during the tournament as Spain was eliminated in the Round of 16 following a 2–0 defeat to Italy.

2018 World Cup

On 21 May 2018, Casillas was left out of Julen Lopetegui's final 23-man Spain squad for the

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...

in Russia. In November, he hinted a return to the Spain football team and Real Madrid.

Style of play and recognition

Widely considered by pundits, as well as both former and current goalkeeping colleagues, as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Casillas was given the nickname "''San Iker''" ("Saint Iker") throughout his career, for his precocious performances as a youngster, and due to his ability to produce acrobatic and decisive saves. In his prime, he was a spectacular, well-rounded, and athletic keeper, who was known in particular for his outstanding agility, reflexes, consistency and shot-stopping, as well as his foot-work, positioning between the posts, concentration, and speed when rushing off his line in one on one situations; he has also stood out for his penalty-saving abilities. In spite of his reserved character, he has been highly regarded for his strong personality, calm composure under pressure, ability to organise his defence, and leadership from the back throughout his career, as well as his reading of the game. Gianluigi Buffon described Casillas as the best goalkeeper of his era with his hands. He was also known for his ability to save the ball with his feet, with former goalkeeper Manuel Almunia likening him to compatriot

Luis Arconada Luis Miguel Arconada Etxarri (born 26 June 1954) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played only for Real Sociedad for nearly 20 years, and helped the club to four titles including two La Liga championships. Arconada ...

, who also served as an inspiration to Casillas, and to whom he was often compared throughout his career, due to his quick reactions, movement, and excellent footwork. Regarding Casillas's playing style and goalkeeping ability, Almunia commented in 2017: "Iker's a strong goalkeeper, leaps well, good diving in either direction... between the posts he moves like a cat." A precocious talent in his youth, Casillas has drawn praise for his longevity and consistency at the top level, as well as his discipline in training; despite his reputation and goalkeeping ability, however, due to his lack of notable height and strong physical attributes, he has been criticised at times by pundits for struggling to command his area, in particular against aerial threats, and for his unsteady handling and indecisiveness when coming out to claim crosses, as he often preferred to punch the ball away. He also received criticism in the media for a series of errors and less consistent performances in his later career, as he lost some of his speed and mobility with age due to his physical decline. Although he has occasionally been criticised by pundits for his limited skills with the ball at his feet in comparison to other Spanish goalkeepers, Casillas's distribution with both his hands and feet has generally been reliable throughout his career, and he is capable of sending the ball into deep areas of the pitch with his long throws and kicks with his left foot.

Sponsorship

In January 2012, Casillas agreed a sponsorship deal with

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufacture ...

to wear their Response goalkeeping gloves and Predator football boots. The move to Adidas ended a long running association for Casillas with

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

, which started in 2004. In February 2005, Casillas was the football face of Reebok's "I Am What I Am" global integrated advertising campaign that linked all the brand's marketing efforts under one umbrella. Adidas has been the parent company of Reebok since 2005.

Outside football

Personal life

14-6-2011 Visita Iker Casillas (5833110137) (cropped)

Between 2004 and 2008, Casillas dated beauty pageant winner

Eva González Eva María González Fernández (born 5 November 1980) is a Spanish actress, television presenter and beauty pageant winner who represented her country at the Miss Universe 2003 pageant. Early life González was born and raised in the town ...

. Casillas was in a relationship with sports journalist

Sara Carbonero Sara Carbonero Arévalo (born 3 February 1984) is a Spanish sports journalist. Since early 2000, she was a TV presenter for Telecinco, until she moved to Porto, in Portugal, when her ex-husband Iker Casillas joined Porto in July 2015. Career ...

from 2009 to 2021. Their son Martín was born on 3 January 2014 in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. In November 2015, the couple announced they were expecting their second child. On 20 March 2016, the couple married. On 2 June 2016, Sara gave birth to the couple's second child, Lucas. On 1 May 2019, during Porto's morning training session, Casillas was rushed to hospital after suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

at the club's training ground, where his situation was stabilized. Later that evening, Casillas, whose situation had improved, published a statement on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

with a picture of himself giving the thumbs up signal in which he thanked the people for the moral support they gave him. Later that month, it was announced that his wife was suffering from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. On 12 March 2021, Casillas and Carbonero announced their decision to separate. In 2013, a street in the

municipality of Madrid was renamed ''Avenida de Iker Casillas'' in his honour. On 17 February 2020, Casillas confirmed his intention to stand as a candidate in the RFEF presidential elections. In October 2022, a tweet from Casillas' account was issued, stating "I hope you respect me: I'm

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

," to which

responded, "It's time to tell our story." The original tweet was deleted after one hour, with Casillas claiming that his account had been

hack Hack may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Hack'' (Unix video game), a 1984 roguelike video game * ''.hack'' (video game series), a series of video games by the multimedia franchise ''.hack'' Music * ''Hack'' (album), a 199 ...

ed. A new tweet offered apologies to his followers, adding "more apologies to the

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

community." Openly gay Australian footballer

Josh Cavallo Joshua John Cavallo (born 13 November 1999) is an Australian professional association footballer who plays as a left back and central midfielder for A-League Men club Adelaide United. Cavallo has represented the Australian under-20 national ...

criticised both Casillas and Puyol for "apparently joking about coming out". Spanish media considered the statement from Casillas's account to be a response to tabloid rumours about his dating life since his separation from his wife.

Charity

In 2011, Casillas was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

Millennium Development Goals The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year 2015 that had been established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millenn ...

. He has his own charitable foundation, the ''Fundación Iker Casillas''. In 2018, attended the international social Football for Friendship forum in Moscow.

Career statistics

Club

International

President Zapatero with FIFA world cup (cropped)

Honours

Real Madrid C *

Tercera División Tercera División ( en, Third Division) was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the '' Segunda División'', and the semi-professional '' Segunda ...

: 1998–99 (Group VII) Real MadridHonours
Real Madrid C.F.. Retrieved 26 September 2015.Iker Casillas , Trophies
. Ikercasillasworld.com (15 September 1999). Retrieved 26 September 2015. *

: 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2011–12 *

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

, 2013–14 *

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

: 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2013–14 *

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

* Intercontinental Cup:

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

Porto *

: 2017–18 *

Spain U16 * UEFA European U-16 Championship:

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

Spain U18 *

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

Spain U20 *

Spain *

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament has ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

Individual *

Bravo Award The Bravo Award was an annual award which was handed out by the Italian magazine ''Guerin Sportivo'' to the most outstanding young European footballer. The first winner of the award was Englishman Jimmy Case. The first non-European to win the ...

: 2000 * La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2000 * La Liga Zamora Trophy: 2007–08 * La Liga Best Goalkeeper:

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...

* La Liga Fair Play Award: 2012–13 *

Fair Play Award: 2017–18 *MARCA Fair Play Award – MARCA's 80th Anniversary: 2018 *Dragões de Ouro Award – Porto Athlete of the Year: 2018 *

Best Goalkeeper: 2018–19 *

Team of the Year Team of the Year may refer to: *BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award *Canadian Press Team of the Year Award *GPA Gaelic Team of the Year *IRB International Sevens Team of the Year *IRB International Team of the Year * J.League Team of the ...

: 2018–19 *Quinas de Ouro Award –

Best XI: 2018–19 *

Best European Goalkeeper The Best European Goalkeeper award is a football award given annually since 1990 to the most outstanding Goalkeeper in Europe, as voted by the UEFA magazine, in 2009 the ESM become the donor of the award. From 1998 to 2009 the Best European Goa ...

: 2010 *

: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 * FIFA FIFPro World XI:

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

FIFA World Cup Golden Glove At the end of each FIFA World Cup final tournament, several awards are presented to the players and teams who have distinguished themselves in various aspects of the game. Awards *There are currently five post-tournament awards from the FIFA ...

* FIFA World Cup Dream Team:

* UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament:

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

* ESM Team of the Year:

UEFA Ultimate Team of the Year The UEFA Fan's Team of the Year is a football award given by UEFA through a poll on its official website. This award started in 2001 and allows users of the organization's website to choose their own eleven players and a coach based on their ov ...

(published 2019) * Golden Foot: 2017 *World XI: Team of the 21st Century *

Globe Soccer Awards The Globe Soccer Awards aka Dubai d'Or are football awards organised by the European Club Association (ECA) in conjunction with the European Association of Player's Agents (EFAA) and delivered by the organisation Globe Soccer. The award ceremony ...

– Player Career Award: 2020 * 11Leyendas Jornal AS: 2021 Records * Second-most appearances in the UEFA Champions League: 177 (behind

) (excluding 4 appearances in the qualifying rounds) * Second-most victories in the UEFA Champions League: 101 (behind

) * Most clean sheets in the UEFA Champions League: 57 (excluding 2 in the qualifying rounds) *Most consecutive seasons in the UEFA Champions League: 20 *First player in UEFA Champions League history to reach the knockout stages 19 times *First goalkeeper to win 100 UEFA Champions League matches *Youngest goalkeeper to play in a UEFA Champions League final: 19 years and 4 days *Youngest goalkeeper to win a UEFA Champions League final: 19 years and 4 days * Most penalty kicks saved in the UEFA Champions League (excluding shoot-outs): 7 out of 23 *Most UEFA Champions League titles won by a goalkeeper: 3 (alongside Juan Alonso,

Ray Clemence Raymond Neal Clemence, (5 August 1948 – 15 November 2020) was an England international football goalkeeper and part of the Liverpool team of the 1970s. He is one of only 31 players to have made over 1,000 career appearances, and holds the ...

Sepp Maier Sepp may refer to: *Sepp (given name) *Sepp (surname) *Science & Environmental Policy Project * Sepp (publisher) *Substantially equal periodic payments, US tax-law provision *Single Edge Processor Package *State Enterprise for Pesticide Production ...

, Keylor Navas, Heinz Stuy, Víctor Valdés and Kiko Casilla) *Most appearances for Real Madrid in UEFA club competitions: 155 *Most

Awards: 5 (alongside Gianluigi Buffon and

) *Most appearances by a goalkeeper in the FIFPro World XI: 5 *Most appearances by a goalkeeper in the

: 6 *Second-most appearances for the Spain national team: 167 (behind

) *Most international clean sheets: 102 *Second-most international victories: 121 (behind

) *Fewest goals conceded by a FIFA World Cup-winning goalkeeper in a single edition of the tournament: 2 goals in 7 appearances (in 2010, alongside Gianluigi Buffon in 2006 and

Fabien Barthez Fabien Alain Barthez (born 28 June 1971) is a French racing driver and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. At club level, he played football in both France and England with Toulouse, Marseille, AS Monaco, Manchester United ...

) *Most clean sheets in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup: 5 (in 2010, alongside Gianluigi Buffon,

Pascal Zuberbühler Pascal Zuberbühler (born 8 January 1971) is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played in the Swiss Super League for Grasshopper, Basel and Neuchâtel Xamax. He also had a season on loan to Bayer Leverkusen of ...

, Fabien Barthez and

Walter Zenga Walter Zenga (; born 28 April 1960) is an Italian football manager and former player who last managed Serie A club Cagliari. He was a long-time goalkeeper for Inter Milan and the Italian national team. During his playing career, Zenga was pa ...

) *Most FIFA World Cup tournaments played by a Spanish player: 4 (alongside Xavi, Andoni Zubizarreta and Fernando Hierro) * Longest unbeaten run at the UEFA European Championship: 509 minutes *Most clean sheets at the UEFA European Championship: 9 (alongside Edwin van der Sar) *Fewest goals conceded in a single edition of the UEFA European Championship: 1 (in 2012, alongside Gianluigi Buffon,

Thomas Myhre Thomas Harald Myhre (born 16 October 1973) is a Norwegian football manager and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently the manager of Moss. The last club he played for before his retirement was Kongsvinger, ha ...

, and Dino Zoff) * Most penalty kicks saved in penalty shoot-outs at the UEFA European Championship: 3 (alongside Gianluigi Buffon) *Only goalkeeper to stop penalties in two different editions of the FIFA World Cup (excluding shoot-outs): 2002 (vs. Ireland), 2010 (vs. Paraguay) Decorations

Notes

References

External links

*
Profile
on

official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Casillas, Iker 1981 births Living people People from Móstoles Footballers from the Community of Madrid Spanish footballers Association football goalkeepers Real Madrid C footballers Real Madrid Castilla footballers Real Madrid CF players FC Porto players Tercera División players Segunda División B players La Liga players Primeira Liga players UEFA Champions League winning players Spain youth international footballers Spain under-21 international footballers Spain international footballers UEFA Euro 2000 players 2002 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2004 players 2006 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2008 players 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2010 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2012 players 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2014 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2016 players UEFA European Championship-winning captains UEFA European Championship-winning players FIFA World Cup-winning captains FIFA World Cup-winning players FIFA Century Club Spanish expatriate footballers Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Expatriate footballers in Portugal