At club level, Casillas started his career with theReal Madrid youth team, eventually gaining promotion to the main team in 1999, where he became the youngest goalkeeper to play in thefinal 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 fiveLa Liga titles, fourSupercopa de España titles, twoCopa del Rey titles, threeUEFA Champions Leagues, twoUEFA Super Cups, twoIntercontinental Cups and theFIFA Club World Cup. After 25 years with Real Madrid, Casillas joined FC Porto in 2015 on a free transfer, where he won thePrimeira Liga and aSupertaça Cândido de Oliveira 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.
In 2008, Casillas placed fourth overall in theBallon d'Or, and was selected for theUEFA Team of the Year six consecutive times from 2007 to 2012, a record for a goalkeeper. Casillas was also selected in theFIFPro World XI a record five times for a goalkeeper, and was named as theIFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper a record five times, alongsideGianluigi Buffon andManuel Neuer. He was named as the second-best goalkeeper of the 21st century, behind Gigi Buffon, and the second-best goalkeeper of the past 25 years by the same organisation.
Casillas has a brother, seven years younger, named Unai, who used to play as acentral midfielder forCD Móstoles.[5] The brothers' forenames are ofBasque origin due to a family connection to the region: their paternal grandfather – an officer in theCivil Guard – was posted toBilbao 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.[6]
On one occasion as a young child, when he was seven or eight,[7] 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).[8][7]
Casillas began his career inReal Madrid's youth system, known asLa 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 faceRosenborg in theUEFA Champions League, although he remained on the bench throughout. After spending a season with theC-team[9] in thefourth tier, during which they won their regional group,[10] he came into contention as the club's first-choice between the posts. In starting the1999–2000 UEFA Champions League group stage fixture againstOlympiakos 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 byMile Svilar.[11] Three days earlier, Casillas had made hisLa Liga debut in a 2–2 draw againstAthletic Bilbao atSan Mamés Stadium.[12] In May 2000, he became the youngest ever goalkeeper to play in and win a Champions League final when Real Madrid defeatedValencia3–0, just four days after his 19th birthday.[13][14]
Casillas lost his place in the side to backupCésar Sánchez after poor performances in the2001–02 campaign, but redeemed himself when Sánchez suffered an injury in the final minutes of the2002 Champions League Final. Casillas came on and pulled off several key saves to deny a rampantBayer Leverkusen the Champions League crown. Real Madrid won 2–1.[15][16]
The2007–08 season was a fruitful season for Casillas, as he helped Real Madrid reclaim their 31stLa Ligatitle and conceded only 32 goals in 36 matches to claim theZamora Trophy. On 14 February 2008, he and club captainRaúl 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.[17] His performances earned him a spot in theUEFA Team of the Year for the second time.
In February 2009, Casillas equalledPaco 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.[18] During the 2009 summer transfer window, some Spanish media reported thatManchester City 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 had been rumoured to have enquired about him, but no price was announced.[19] He had been linked with otherPremier League clubs before[20] but Casillas himself stated that he "had no intention of leaving" his boyhood club.
During the2009–10 season on 4 October in a game againstSevilla, Casillas made an extraordinary save, running from one side of his goal to the other to denyDiego Perotti in a one-on-one, close-range encounter.[21] After the match, he received praise from fellow Spanish goalkeepers andEngland goalkeeperGordon Banks, 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 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.[22]
Casillas, wearing the captain's armband while playing for Real Madrid in 2010
During the2010–11 season, after the departure of first and second captains of Real Madrid, Raúl andGuti respectively, Casillas was selected as first captain with new vice-captainsSergio Ramos,Marcelo andGonzalo Higuaín.
During the2011–12 season, Casillas won the IFFHS Best Goalkeeper award, making him only the second goalkeeper behindGianluigi Buffon 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.
Casillas' gloves on display at the Santiago Bernabeu museum
On 22 December 2012, Casillas was dropped byJosé Mourinho for a Liga match againstMálaga in favour ofAntonio Adán.[23] 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" (aportmanteau of "topo", and "portero", Spanish for "mole" and "goalkeeper", respectively).[24] During the2012–13 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 signedDiego 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 midfielderAndrés Iniesta criticised him for benching Casillas.
In the middle of 2013, it was announced thatCarlo Ancelotti would be Real Madrid's head coach for the2013–14 season. Real Madrid started the season with a 2–1 victory overReal Betis in which Casillas was benched once again. He made his first start in 238 days in theChampions League group stage match againstGalatasaray, 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.[25] Despite being the club's second-choice keeper inLa Liga, behind Diego López, Casillas continued to be Madrid's first choice keeper in the Champions League andCopa del Rey, setting a new record of 962 minutes without conceding a goal in the latter competition.[26] In February 2014, he became the first goalkeeper to play in every round of theCopa del Rey prior to the final without conceding a goal.[27] On 16 April, he captained Madrid inthe final as they beat rivalsBarcelona 2–1 at Valencia'sMestalla Stadium. On 24 May 2014, Casillas captained Real Madrid in the2014 Champions League final, winning the title for the third time in his career with a 4–1 win overAtlético Madrid inLisbon; this was the tenth time Real Madrid had won the trophy. AlthoughDiego Godín'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.[28][29][30] In2013–14 season Casillas kept 6 clean sheets, third most in a single season of Champions League.[31]
Following the Champions League win, the2014–15 season saw Casillas return to being the club's first choice goalkeeper, despite competition from new arrivalKeylor Navas,[32] as he then went on to win theUEFA Super Cup, with Real Madrid defeating Sevilla 2–0 on 12 August 2014.[33][34] He then also won theFIFA Club World Cup later that year, making his 700th appearance for Madrid on 20 December 2014, in the2014 FIFA Club World Cup Final, as Real Madrid defeatedSan Lorenzo 2–0.[35][36][37][38][39] In May 2015, Casillas played in theChampions League semi-finals against Juventus, in which his team lost 3–2 on aggregate.[40]
"You've always been a Real Madrid icon, but above all you've been one of the best representatives of our position on the pitch. Good luck in your new adventure, it'll be strange to see you in another shirt from now on. Go Iker!"
—Juventus and Italy goalkeeperGianluigi Buffon on Casillas following his transfer toPorto in July 2015.[41]
Casillas playing for Porto in 2015
After much speculation about his future, on 11 July 2015 Casillas signed with PortuguesePrimeira Liga sidePorto on a two-year deal with the option of a one-year extension.[42][43][44] Real Madrid's conduct in his exit was criticised, with Casillas' parents claiming that he was being forced out of the club by presidentFlorentino Pérez, who received calls to quit from fans. Former international teammateXavi, 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.[45]
Casillas made his Primeira Liga debut on 15 August, keeping a clean sheet in a 3–0 win overVitória de Guimarães at theEstádio do Dragão.[46] On 29 September 2015, he overtook Xavi to become the player with the most appearances in theChampions League, making his record 152ndChampions League appearance in a 2–1 home win overChelsea. That season, Casillas also brokeEdwin van der Sar'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 overMaccabi Tel Aviv, as his team climbed top of Champions League Group G.[47][48] In January 2016, he was blamed for the away loss at Vitória de Guimarães (1–0) in theleague, following a high-profile error.[49]
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 overArouca.[50][51] 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 theUEFA Champions League, overtakingPaolo Maldini as the player with themost appearances in European club matches.[52]
On 13 September, Casillas equalledRyan Giggs's record of playing in 19 consecutive UEFA Champions League campaigns when he appeared in Porto's 3–1 home defeat toBeşiktaş in the2017–18 edition of the tournament.[53][54] On 2 April 2018, Casillas played his 1,000th match as a professional in Porto's 2–0 loss atBelenenses.[55] In May, he won his first trophy with the club as they won the league title for the first time since 2013.[56] The2017–18 Primeira Liga title was confirmed afterSporting CP andBenfica tied their respective match.[57] On 17 May 2018, he renewed his contract with Porto for another year.[58]
On 4 August, Casillas started in Porto's 3–1 victory overDesportivo das Aves in the2018 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira.[59] He surpassed Giggs' record during the 2018–19 season, appearing in his 20th consecutive UEFA Champions League campaign.[60] On 11 December, Casillas, in a 3–2 away win over Galatasaray, became the first player to reach the knock-out stage 19 times,[60] and become only the second player after Cristiano Ronaldo to win 100 Champions League matches.[61] He made 31 league appearances throughout the season as Porto finished in second place, but his season was cut short after he suffered "anacute myocardial infarction" during training on 1 May 2019.[62][63] He was discharged from hospital on 6 May, but commented that he was uncertain about his future.[64]
In July 2019, following his heart attack two months earlier, Casillas returned for pre-season training.[65] Later that month, Porto announced that he had been given a role with the club's coaching staff as he continued his recovery.[63] In August, he was named in Porto's squad for the 2019–20 season.[66] In September, he shared the results of his medical tests on social media;[67] 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 onInstagram.[68] He resumed training on 4 November.[69]
On 4 August 2020, Casillas officially announced his retirement from professional football.[70] In July, he was reported to have returned to Real Madrid to work as an advisor forFlorentino Pérez.[71] In December 2020, he was appointed as the deputy to the Real Madrid Foundation CEO.[72]
Casillas debuted for Spain at theunder-17 level. At age 16, he was the youngest player in the Spanish squad that placed third at the1997 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Egypt. He was later made captain of the U17s. Two years later, he went on to win theFIFA World Youth Championship and theUEFA–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.
Casillas is currently the second most capped player in the history of theSpain national team. Following his full international debut at the senior level on 3 June 2000 againstSweden (at 19 years and 14 days),[73] Casillas was an unused substitute atUEFA Euro 2000. He was part of the roster for the2002 FIFA World Cup, initially as the understudy toSantiago Cañizares. Coincidentally, he became first-choice when Cañizares had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury from a freak accident.[74] 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 theRepublic of Ireland (1–1 after 120 minutes), earning him the nickname "The Saint".[75][76][77] One of his saves during the quarter-final against co-hostsSouth Korea during the 2002 World Cup was rated byFIFA as one of the top ten saves of all time;[78] however, Spain were eliminated following a 5–3 penalty shoot-out defeat to the Koreans (0–0 after 120 minutes).[79]
Casillas played in all eight Group six fixtures duringEuro 2004qualifying, conceding just four goals. He kept a clean sheet in the second leg victory of the playoff againstNorway which ended 3–0 inOslo, and started all of Spain's Euro 2004 matches. He was the first choice for the2006 World Cup,captaining the team twice, but could not preventLa Roja from losing 3–1 to aZinedine Zidane-inspiredFrance in the Round of 16.[80]
With the exclusion of his Real Madrid teammateRaúl from the squad forEuro 2008, Casillas was given the captain's armband. He started the first twoGroup D games againstRussia and Sweden before being rested in place of second-choice goalkeeperPepe Reina for Spain's group stage elimination ofGreece. Casillas saved two penalties fromAntonio Di Natale andDaniele De Rossi as Spain eliminatedItaly in the quarter-finals with a 4–2 shootout win following a goalless draw on 22 June.[81] Spain later went on to win the competition with a 1–0 win overGermany in thefinal on 29 June. Casillas kept clean sheets in all of the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches, with Sweden's first round goal byZlatan Ibrahimović being the last one scored against him. On 29 June 2008, Casillas became the first goalkeeper-captain to lift theUEFA European Championship trophy when Spain beat Germany in the final.[82]
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 goalkeeperAndoni Zubizarreta and Paco Buyo.Wesley Sonck ofBelgium ended their goalless streak when he scored against them a2010 World Cup qualifying match.
Casillas with theWorld Cup trophy during celebrations in Spain, July 2010
Casillas was Spain's starting goalkeeper during the2009 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 aqualifying match for the World Cup, Casillas equalled Andoni Zubizarreta's national record of 56 clean sheets, and during the team's next match, againstEstonia 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).[84] Two months later, Casillas made his100th appearance for Spain in its friendly win overArgentina, making him only the third player in history of Spanish football to ever reach this far internationally.[85]
Although Casillas committed an error which led to a goal in Spain's 1–0 defeat to Switzerland in their opening match of the2010 FIFA World Cup,[86] on 11 July 2010, Casillas captained Spain to their first ever World Cup title with a 1–0 win against theNetherlands in extra-time.[87] In so doing, he became the third ever goalkeeper to captain a World Cup winning side (along withGianpiero Combi in1934 andDino Zoff in1982; the feat was later also achieved byHugo Lloris in2018). He was voted the tournament's best goalkeeper, being named to the 2010 World Cup Dream Team, and was also awarded theGolden Glove.[86][88] In the course of the finals in South Africa, he kept a joint–record five clean sheets – including in all four games in the knock-out stages –,[86] only conceded a joint–record two goals, and saved a penalty in regulation time in the quarter-final victory againstParaguay.[75] In thefinal, he made two crucial stops from Netherlands'Arjen Robben with the score at 0–0 after the Dutchman had passed all the defenders.[87] Before he went to pick up theWorld 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:
From when I was small, I sawMatthäus lift it. I sawDunga lift it, I sawDeschamps lift it, I sawCafu lift it,Cannavaro... so to watch me lift it, I could watch it tomorrow, I could watch it within 10 years and it will always make me emotional because it's incomparable.[89]
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 againstCosta Rica.[90] On 29 February 2012, in Spain's 5–0 win overVenezuela, 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 overChina PR, Casillas set the record for most international clean sheets with 74.[91]
Casillas lifting theEuro 2012 trophy, the third consecutive major title forSpain, achieving a historictreble
Prior toEuro 2012, there had been growing tensions in the dressing room among Spain's players who played for rival clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid; this led managerVicente del Bosque 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, 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.[92][93] On 1 July 2012, Casillas became the first player to reach 100 international wins for his country as Spain defeated Italy 4–0 in theEuro 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'sEuropean Championship, keeping five consecutive clean sheets and breaking the longstanding tally of 494 minutes set by Italian goalkeeperDino Zoff.[94] 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.[95] Casillas then continued his new record unbeaten streak with Spain to 817 minutes, until it was finally broken byOlivier Giroud's injury-time goal on 16 October of that year, which came in a 1–1 home draw against France in a2014 World Cup qualifying match.[96][97][98]
In June 2014, Casillas was selected to represent Spain in his fourthWorld Cup.[100] In the team's opening match, he made two mistakes leading to goals fromStefan de Vrij andRobin van Persie as the champions were defeated 5–1 by the Netherlands.[101] After the match, Casillas apologised for the defeat and called his performance the worst of his career.[102] He also started in Spain's second group game againstChile, which they lost 2–0 and were subsequently eliminated from the World Cup.[103] He received criticism for his role in Chile's second goal, where he punchedAlexis Sánchez's free kick into the path of the goalscorerCharles Aránguiz.[104][105] On 23 June, Casillas was left on the bench for Spain's final game againstAustralia, with Pepe Reina playing instead.
On 5 September 2015, Casillas kept a clean sheet in his 100th game as Spain's captain, a 2–0Euro 2016 qualifying win overSlovakia at theEstadio Carlos Tartiere inOviedo.[106] 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.[107] He equalled the LatvianVitālijs Astafjevs' European record of 166 caps on 27 March 2016 by playing in a friendly againstRomania.[108]
On 31 May, Casillas was named to Vicente del Bosque's final 23-manSpain squad forEuro 2016.[109] The following day, he became the most-capped European player by earning his 167th cap in a 6–1 friendly win over South Korea inSalzburg in a pre-tournament warm-up match; he was later replaced by debutantSergio Rico in the second half. This was his final international appearance.[110][111] During the tournament, he was the second-choice goalkeeper behindDavid 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.[112]
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 colleagues, as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time,[116][117][118][119][120] 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 whenrushing off his line in one on one situations;[13][117][121][122][123][124][125][126] he has also stood out for his penalty-saving abilities.[127][128] 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.[13][124][126][129][130] Gianluigi Buffon described Casillas as the best goalkeeper of his era with his hands.[131][132] He was also known for his ability to save the ball with his feet, with former goalkeeperManuel Almunia likening him to compatriotLuis 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."[124][133][134][135] In 2016, Casillas was named the fourth greatest goalkeeper in history byFrance Football.[136]
A precocious talent in his youth, Casillas has drawn praise for his longevity and consistency at the top level,[116][117][121][124] as well as his discipline in training;[92] 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.[13][137][138][139][140][141] 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.[116][126][138][142]
In January 2012, Casillas agreed a sponsorship deal withAdidas to wear their Response goalkeeping gloves and Predator football boots.[143] The move to Adidas ended a long running association for Casillas withReebok, 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.[144] Adidas has been the parent company of Reebok since 2005.
Between 2004 and 2008, Casillas dated beauty pageant winnerEva González.[145] Casillas was in a relationship with sports journalistSara Carbonero from 2009 to 2021.[146] Their first son Martín was born on 3 January 2014 inMadrid.[147] In November 2015, the couple announced they were expecting their second child. On 20 March 2016, the couple married. On June 2, 2016, their second son Lucas was born.[148] On 1 May 2019, during Porto's morning training session, Casillas was rushed to hospital after suffering aheart attack at the club's training ground, where his situation was stabilized.[62][149] Later that evening, Casillas, whose situation had improved, published a statement onTwitter with a picture of himself giving thethumbs up signal in which he thanked the people for the moral support they gave him.[150] Later that month, it was announced that his wife was suffering fromcancer.[151]
On 12 March 2021, Casillas and Carbonero announced their decision to separate.[146] In 2013, a street in theMóstoles municipality of Madrid was renamedAvenida de Iker Casillas in his honour.[152] On 17 February 2020, Casillas confirmed his intention to stand as a candidate in theRFEF presidential elections.
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 andFabien Barthez in1998)[188]
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