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Iker Casillas
Casillas with Porto in 2018
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Iker Casillas Fernández[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 May 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Móstoles, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2] | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team
| Porto | ||
| Number | 1 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1990–1998 | Real Madrid | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–1999 | Real Madrid C | 26 | (0) |
| 1999 | Real Madrid B | 4 | (0) |
| 1999–2015 | Real Madrid | 510 | (0) |
| 2015– | Porto | 109 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1996 | Spain U15 | 1 | (0) |
| 1996–1998 | Spain U16 | 19 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | Spain U17 | 10 | (0) |
| 1999 | Spain U18 | 4 | (0) |
| 1999 | Spain U20 | 2 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | Spain U21 | 5 | (0) |
| 2000– | Spain | 167 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 March 2019 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2018 | |||
Iker Casillas Fernández (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈikeɾ kaˈsiʎas feɾˈnandeθ]; born 20 May 1981) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Portuguese club Porto and the Spain national team. 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,[3][4][5][6][7] known for his athleticism, quick reactions and outstanding shot-stopping ability.[8][9][10][11]
Casillas began his youth career with Real Madrid in 1990. After gaining promotion to the senior team in 1999, he remained with the club for 16 seasons, later serving as club captain. During his highly successful time in Madrid, he won five La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey titles, four Supercopa de España titles, three UEFA Champions League titles, two UEFA Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. He also amassed 725 appearances for Real Madrid, the second most in club history, before departing in 2015 to join Porto on a free transfer.[12] In Portugal, Casillas captured a Primeira Liga and Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira title.
Casillas has played for the Spanish national team a record 167 times, and has been an international since June 2000, making him the joint sixth-most capped male footballer in history, and the joint second-most capped European player of all time. He became the nation's first-choice goalkeeper at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and went on to play at UEFA Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup. In 2008, he was made captain, and led the team to that year's European Championship. He also led Spain to their first World Cup in 2010, and retained the European Championship in 2012.[13] In 2014, Casillas also became one of four players to represent Spain at four World Cups.[14]
Casillas was nominated for the Ballon d'Or award in 2008, ranking fourth overall.[15] In 2012, he was voted into the UEFA Team of the Year for a record sixth consecutive time. Casillas also holds the record for most appearances by a goalkeeper in the FIFPro World XI, and is the record appearances holder in the UEFA Champions League.[16][17] He has also played over 1,000 professional matches,[18] and has won all major club and national championship titles.
2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup[edit]
Casillas was Spain's starting goalkeeper during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup 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 Spanish team's next match, against Estonia 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).[79] Two months later, Casillas made his 100th appearance for Spain in its friendly win over Argentina, making him only the third player in history of Spanish football to ever reach this far internationally.[80]
On 11 July 2010, Casillas captained Spain to their first ever World Cup title with a 1–0 win against the Netherlands.[81] In so doing, he became the third ever goalkeeper to captain a World Cup winning side (along with Gianpiero Combi in 1934 and Dino Zoffin 1982; the feat was later also achieved by Hugo Lloris in 2018). He was voted the tournament's best goalkeeper and awarded the Golden Glove. In the course of the finals in South Africa, he kept five clean sheets, conceded two goals and saved a penalty in the quarter-final against Paraguay. In the final, he made two crucial stops from Netherlands' Arjen Robben with the score at 0–0 after the Dutchman had passed all the defenders.[81] 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.[83] On 29 February 2012, in Spain's 5–0 win over Venezuela, 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, Casillas set the record for most international clean sheets with 74.[84]
Euro 2012[edit]
On 1 July 2012, Casillas became the first player to reach 100 international wins for his country. 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 Dino Zoff.[85]The only goal he conceded, scored by Antonio Di Natale, came in Spain's opening match of the tournament, against eventual runners-up Italy.[86] Casillas then continued his new record for minutes unbeaten with Spain to 817 minutes.
2013 Confederations Cup and 2014 World Cup[edit]
In June 2013, Casillas represented Spain at the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil, making three appearances as Spain reached the final, only to be defeated by the hosts Brazil.
In June 2014, Casillas was selected to represent Spain in his fourth World Cup.[87] In the team's opening match, he made two mistakes leading to goals from Stefan de Vrijand Robin van Persie as the champions were defeated 5–1 by the Netherlands.[88]After the match, Casillas apologised for the defeat and called his performance the worst of his career.[89] He also started in Spain's second group game against Chile, which they lost 2–0 and were subsequently eliminated from the World Cup.[90] He received criticism for his role in Chile's second goal, where he punched Alexis Sánchez's free kick into the path of the goalscorer Charles Aránguiz.[91][92] On 23 June, Casillas was left on the bench for Spain's final game against Australia, with Pepe Reina playing instead.
Euro 2016[edit]
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 at the Estadio Carlos Tartiere in Oviedo.[93] 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.[94] He equalled the Latvian Vitālijs Astafjevs' European record of 167 caps on 27 March 2016 by playing in a friendly against Romania.[95]
On 31 May, Casillas was named to Vicente del Bosque's final 23-man Spain squad for Euro 2016.[96] 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.[97]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.[98]
2018 World Cup[edit]
On 21 May 2018, Casillas was left out of Julen Lopetegui's final 23-man Spain squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[99][100] In November, he hinted a return to the Spain football team and Real Madrid.[101]
Style of play[edit]
"Honestly, I don't have to use up many words to say how good he is, the results are there for all to see. He has won everything there is to win and has been on the same great level for so many years now, which is possibly hardest of all for a goalkeeper. Spain almost never concede goals and Casillas is the main reason for that."
Widely considered by pundits, as well as both former and current goalkeeping colleague, as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time,[3][4][103][104][105][106][107]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 linein one on one situations;[9][104][108][109][110][111][112] he has also stood out for his penalty-saving abilities.[8][113][114] 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.[9][112][115][116]
A precocious talent in his youth, Casillas has drawn praise for his longevity and consistency at the top level;[11][103][104][108]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 his handling and indecisiveness when coming out to claim crosses, often preferring to punch the ball away, which led to a series of errors and less consistent performances in his later career, as he lost some of his speed and mobility with age.[9][117][118][119] 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.[103][112][118][120]
Sponsorship[edit]
In January 2012, Casillas agreed a sponsorship deal with Adidas to wear their Response goalkeeping gloves and Predator football boots.[121] The move to Adidas ended a long running association for Casillas with Reebok, 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.[122] Adidas has been the parent company of Reebok since 2005.
Outside football[edit]
Personal life[edit]
Between 2004 and 2008, Casillas dated beauty pageant winner Eva González.[123] Since 2009, Casillas has been in a relationship with sports journalist Sara Carbonero.[124] Their son Martín was born on 3 January 2014 in Madrid.[125][126] 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.[127]
A street in Móstoles has been renamed Avenida de Iker Casillas in his honour.[128]
Charity[edit]
In 2011, Casillas was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme's Millennium Development Goals.[129][130]
He has his own charitable foundation, the Fundación Iker Casillas.[131]
Career statistics[edit]
Club[edit]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Real Madrid B | 1999–2000 | Segunda División B | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| Real Madrid | 1999–2000 | La Liga | 27 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12[b] | 0 | 3[c] | 0 | 47 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | La Liga | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11[b] | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 47 | 0 | |
| 2001–02 | La Liga | 25 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9[b] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 40 | 0 | |
| 2002–03 | La Liga | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15[b] | 0 | 2[f] | 0 | 55 | 0 | |
| 2003–04 | La Liga | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9[b] | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | 50 | 0 | |
| 2004–05 | La Liga | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10[g] | 0 | — | 47 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | La Liga | 37 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7[b] | 0 | — | 48 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | La Liga | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7[b] | 0 | — | 45 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | La Liga | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8[b] | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | 46 | 0 | |
| 2008–09 | La Liga | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7[b] | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | 47 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | La Liga | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8[b] | 0 | — | 46 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | La Liga | 35 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 11[b] | 0 | — | 54 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | La Liga | 37 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10[b] | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | 53 | 0 | |
| 2012–13 | La Liga | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5[b] | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | 29 | 0 | |
| 2013–14 | La Liga | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 13[b] | 0 | — | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | La Liga | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10[b] | 0 | 5[h] | 0 | 47 | 0 | |
| Total | 510 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 152 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 725 | 0 | ||
| Porto | 2015–16 | Primeira Liga | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8[i] | 0 | — | 40 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | Primeira Liga | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10[j] | 0 | — | 43 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Primeira Liga | 20 | 0 | 8[k] | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | — | 31 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Primeira Liga | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8[b] | 0 | 1[l] | 0 | 33 | 0 | |
| Total | 109 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 147 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 623 | 0 | 48 | 0 | 181 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 876 | 0 | ||
- ^ Appearances in Copa del Rey, Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Appearances in Champions League
- ^ Appearances in 2000 FIFA Club World Championship
- ^ One appearance in 2000 UEFA Super Cup and one appearance in 2000 Intercontinental Cup
- ^ a b c d e f Appearance(s) in Supercopa de España
- ^ One appearance in 2002 UEFA Super Cup and one appearance in 2002 Intercontinental Cup
- ^ Eight appearances in Champions League and two appearances in 2004–05 Champions League qualifying rounds
- ^ Two appearances in Supercopa de España, one appearance in 2014 UEFA Super Cup and two appearances in 2014 FIFA Club World Cup
- ^ Six appearances in Champions League and two appearances in Europa League
- ^ Eight appearances in Champions League and two appearances in 2016–17 Champions League qualifying rounds
- ^ Five appearances in Taça de Portugal and three appearances in Taça da Liga
- ^ Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
International[edit]
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| Spain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2000 | 6 | 0 |
| 2001 | 5 | 0 |
| 2002 | 11 | 0 |
| 2003 | 11 | 0 |
| 2004 | 12 | 0 |
| 2005 | 10 | 0 |
| 2006 | 10 | 0 |
| 2007 | 8 | 0 |
| 2008 | 15 | 0 |
| 2009 | 13 | 0 |
| 2010 | 15 | 0 |
| 2011 | 11 | 0 |
| 2012 | 16 | 0 |
| 2013 | 9 | 0 |
| 2014 | 8 | 0 |
| 2015 | 5 | 0 |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 167 | 0 |
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