“O.itemList.length” “- this.config.text.ariaShown
“This.config.text.ariaFermé”
Madrid (AFP) – Spanish world Cup winner Iker Casillas announced his retirement on Tuesday after being more than a year off because of a problem in the centre.
Casillas, 39, won the Euro Forbes twice with his country in a trophy-filled race that included more than 700 matches with Real Madrid.
“Today is one of the vital and difficult peak days of my sporting life, it’s time to say goodbye,” he said on Twitter.
Casillas joined The Portuguese porto team in 2015 after a thrilling start from Madrid. He suffered a fit in the center in May last year.
He played 167 times with Spain, the 2010 World Cup and the Euro in 2008 and 2012 in a golden era for Spanish football.
He has won five La Liga and Champions League titles three times in his time at Santiago Bernabeu.
“The top productive goalkeeper in the history of Real Madrid and Spanish football joined us at the age of 9. He trained here and defended our jersey for 25 years, fitting one of our all-time iconic captains,” the club said in a statement. Statement.
“Today, one of the greatest footballers in our 118 years of history calls him a day as a professional player, a player we love and admire, a goalkeeper who has made Real Madrid’s legacy with his paintings and exemplary custom on and off the ground. “They added.
Former club and countrymate Sergio Ramos among many players to congratulate the veteran, nicknamed ”The Saint” on social media.
“Football thank you, man. Forever a @IkerCasillas legend,” Ramos tweeted.
Costume by former Spanish midfielder and blue-great and blue-won Andrés Iniesta.
“All the most productive for you and your circle of family members at this new level that will be presented in your life,” he tweeted.
The current Madrid goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, has shown his appreciation for Casillas.
“Idol, companion, rival, referenceArray … you are exemplary in many ways, but the main one is a person !! Congratulations on the @IkerCasillas and thank you for everything!!” posted it on Twitter.
– ‘Heroes’ –
Vicente del Bosque, who trained Casillas in Madrid and with Spain, praised his effort.
“Casillas a hero of Spanish national football and selection,” he said.
The president of Madrid, Florentino Pérez Casillas, had left a lasting impression on the club.
“Iker Casillas says goodbye as a professional player, having helped the real Madrid myth and legend extra,” Pérez said on the club’s website.
“His legacy will be there. Iker knows what it is and will be his home.”
Former Italian captain Gianluigi Buffon, who has faced Casillas at events and is also considered one of the most productive goalkeepers in his country, echoed the compliment of Ramos and Del Bosque.
“They say the festival makes us bigger than the others, but not the best in front of ourselves. Perhaps this useless quest for overcoming is what made us who we are. Grace Iker, without you, everything would have been less significant,” Buffon tweeted. .
In June, Casillas said he was finishing his candidacy for the presidency of the Spanish Football Federation for the coronavirus pandemic.