Iker Casillas Biography:
If we were to ask any football fan around the globe that who is the greatest goalkeeper in the recent history of football, we are likely to hear one name IKER CASILLAS.
It was his influence in the game which gave him the status of a God standing between the sticks and people started to call him ”Saint Iker” or “San Iker”. His athleticism, instant reaction, and outstanding shot-stopping ability could turn any match in favor of his team.
I don’t want to be remembered as a good goalkeeper. I want to be remembered as a great person.
Iker Casillas Fernández was a nightmare for the strikers. In an interview, Casillas said, “strikers always dream of scoring the best goal and I have always dreamt of stopping it”. Casillas had stopped several goals that could have won the Puskas Award.
Iker Casillas biography is all about his dedication over the years, about his family and his success story.
Iker Casillas Family:
Iker Casillas was born in the year 1981 on 20th May in Mostoles, a province of Madrid, His father José Luis Casillas was a civil servant in the ministry of Education and his mother María del Carmen Fernández González was a professional Hairdresser.
Wife:
Iker Casillas is a family man. He met his wife Sara Carbonero during the Confederations Cup 2009 where his team had lost against Brazil but he had won his heart of Sara.
Iker Casillas and Sara Casillas married in 2016 and Sara Carbonero and Iker Casillas have 2 sons Martin and Lucas.
Iker Casillas is a family man. He met his wife Sara Carbonero during the Confederations Cup 2009 where his team had lost against Brazil but he had won the heart of Sara. Iker Casillas Wife Spanish sports journalist.
Iker Casillas and Sara Casillas married in 2016 and Sara Carbonero and Iker Casillas have 2 sons Martin and Lucas. In an interview a few years back Casillas said “ My family is all I have and I just want them to be happy”. A year back Casillas had suffered a heart attack which had horrified his family and the whole world still after few months of recovery he was found playing again for FC Porto.
Iker Casillas Career:
Iker Casillas is the first Spanish captain who guided Spain to their world cup glory in the year 2010 at South Africa and also he has won major International trophies like UEFA Euro Cup in the year 2008 and in 2012.
In his club career he has played most of his part with the Spanish giants Real Madrid and with them Iker Casillas won three UCL Titles and also five La Liga Titles.
Club Career:
Entering the Real Madrid youth team:
When aged 9, Casillas’s father had seen an advertisement in the newspaper which had an application for the Real Madrid team. Casillas went to Santiago Bernabeau and was selected. From that point, his career build-up with Real Madrid began.
Real Madrid:
Iker Casillas Real Madrid career when he was just 9 years old when he was selected for an open trial, His quick reactions had impressed the trial coach. On November 27, 1997, Casillas being only 16, was called up in the squad for the senior team in the match against Rosenburg in the UCL.
He was on the bench and later played for the C-Team for the next two seasons. He became the club’s first choice in the season 1999-2000 and Iker Casillas Champions league debut was made against Olympiakos in the group stage.
In the upcoming seasons, he faced new challenges and always did everything which he could do to save his side from losing.
Iker Casillas had also received the lifetime contract by the club till 2017 which could have been automatically extended. He had also become the most capped goalkeeper in the history of football just at the age of 27.
During the season 2011-2012, Iker Casillas Captained Real Madrid, He had won almost everything which he could win with the club. In January 2013 Casillas had suffered a serious injury and lost his first-choice position.
Even after Iker Casillas recovered he was not given the first team, as Jose Mourinho and Iker Casillas were having some issues, and later on Club manager Jose Mourinho was criticized by Andres Iniesta for benching Casillas. At last, after 238 days Casillas made his first start but was injured in the 14th minute.
The whole world knows that I am a Madridista by heart; White until the death.
In the upcoming seasons, he faced new challenges and always did everything which he could do to save his side from losing. He pulled out some saves which were out of the world.
He had also received the lifetime contract by the club till 2017 which could have been automatically extended. He had also become the most capped goalkeeper in the history of football just at the age of 27.
In the summer transfer window in 2009, Iker Casillas Transfer Rumors were Lurking in the air and huge bids were given for Casillas by big clubs like Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool but Casillas in an interview said that “ I don’t have the intention of leaving my boyhood club”
During the 2009–10 season on 4 October in a game against Sevilla, Casillas made an extraordinary save, running from one side of his goal to the other to deny striker Diego Perotti in a one-on-one, close-range encounter.
He had received a standing ovation by the whole crowd and all the players present on the field had no words to describe his greatness. After the match, the English goalkeeper Gordon Banks said “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.”
During the season 2011-2012, Iker Casillas Captained Real Madrid, He had won almost everything which he could win with the club. In January 2013 Casillas had suffered a serious injury and lost his first-choice position.
Even after he recovered he was not given the first team, as Jose Mourinho and Iker Casillas were having some issues, and later on Club manager Jose Mourinho was criticized by Andres Iniesta for benching Casillas. At last, after 238 days Casillas made his first start but was injured in the 14th minute.
Winning domestic tournaments like leagues, cups, and super cups adds to your standing in your country, but once you take a step forward in Europe and lift that European Cup, I think that prestige extends to the global stage.
During the season 2014-2015, he retained his position as the first-choice goalkeeper and went on winning the UEFA Super Cup and had also made his 700th appearance for Real Madrid. Later that season he had to leave Real Madrid at a free cost.
Casillas Real Madrid stint was one of the memorable phrases in Iker Casillas Biography.
FC Porto:
Iker Casillas Porto debut was made On 15th August 2015. Later he also became the most capped player in the UCL history. He also established the record of most clean sheets in UCL history and later became the most capped player in European matches. He also broke the record of most UCL seasons played by a single player.
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, Finally, this year on 20th February Iker Casillas farewell was announced.
Iker Casillas Biography expressed that he ends his gilded career with the Portuguese club.
International Career:
World Cup
Fundacion Iker Casillas was the youngest player to be capped for the under 17 Spanish teams. At the senior team, he was initially the second choice but eventually, he worked himself up and got up to the first choice by his exceptional performances at club level.
Iker Casillas Spain Senior team debut was made in World cup 2002. He was supposed to be the second choice but the first choice had suffered a severe injury due to an accident so Casillas had got the first choice at the age of 21.
In the 2010 World Cup he captained Spain to their first-ever World Cup title. Casillas had made two crucial saves in the final minutes of the final against Netherland’s Arjen Robben which had turned the match in the favor of Spain. Spanish Goalkeeper Iker Casillas announced the best goalkeeper of the tournament and also received the Golden Glove.
Iker Casillas world cup glory was the most important part of Iker Casillas Biography.
In 2014 World cup he became the 1st player ever to feature in 4 consecutive World Cups. 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.
Euro Cup:
In the 2008 Euro, Casillas captained Spain to lift the Championship Trophy. He kept clean sheets in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and also in the finals. He was named as the best goalkeeper and also ranked 4th for the race of Ballon d’Or.
In the 2012 Euro, Casillas made a record of 100 International wins, most by any player. He also set a new record of playing 509 minutes without conceding a goal in the tournament.
Iker Casillas Records and Achievements:
“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.”
— Juventus and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon when asked about Casillas.
Here is the list of Iker Casillas Trophies that he has won with his clubs and with his national side.
- La Liga: 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2011–12
- Copa del Rey: 2010–11, 2013–14
- Supercopa de España: 2001, 2003, 2008, 2012
- UEFA Champions League: 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2013–14
- UEFA Super Cup: 2002, 2014
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2014
- Intercontinental Cup: 1998, 2002
Porto:
- Primeira Liga: 2017–18
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2018
International:
Spain:
- FIFA World Cup: 2010
- UEFA European Championship: 2008, 2012
- FIFA World Youth Championship: 1999
- UEFA European U-16 Championship: 1997
- UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup: 1999
Individual:
- Bravo Award: 2000
- La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2000
- La Liga Zamora Trophy: 2007–08
- La Liga Best Goalkeeper: 2009, 2012
- La Liga Fair Play Award: 2012–13
- Primeira Liga Fair Play Award: 2017–18
- MARCA Fair Play Award – MARCA’s 80th Anniversary: 2018
- Dragões de Ouro Award – Porto Athlete of the Year: 2018
- Primeira Liga Best Goalkeeper: 2018–19
- Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2018–19
- Quinas de Ouro Award – Primeira Liga Best XI: 2018–19
- Best European Goalkeeper: 2010
- IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
- FIFA FIFPro World XI: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
- FIFA FIFPro World XI 2nd team: 2013
- FIFA FIFPro World XI 3rd team: 2014
- FIFA FIFPro World XI 5th team: 2015
- FIFA World Cup Golden Glove: 2010
- FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2010
- UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament: 2008, 2012
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
- ESM Team of the Year: 2008
- UEFA Ultimate Team of the Year (published 2019)
Golden Foot: 2017
Records:
- Most appearances in the UEFA Champions League: 177 (excluding 4 appearances in the qualifying rounds)
- Most group stage appearances in the UEFA Champions League: 94
- Second-most victories in the UEFA Champions League: 101 (behind Cristiano Ronaldo)
- 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 Champions League history to reach the knock-out stages 19 times
- First goalkeeper to win 100 Champions League matches
- Youngest goalkeeper to play in a UEFA Champions League final: 19 years and four days
- Youngest goalkeeper to win a UEFA Champions League final: 19 years and four 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, Sepp Maier, Keylor Navas, Heinz Stuy, Víctor Valdés and Kiko Casilla)
- Most appearances in UEFA Club competitions: 188 (177 in the Champions League, 4 in the Champions League qualifying rounds, 2 in the Europa League, 3 in the UEFA Super Cup, 2 in the Intercontinental Cup)
- Most appearances for Real Madrid in UEFA Club Competitions: 155
- Most IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper Awards: 5 (alongside Gianluigi Buffon)
- Most appearances by a goalkeeper in the FIFPro World XI: 5
Iker Casillas Net Worth:
The Net Worth of the formal Real Madrid Skipper as of now in 2020 is around $40 Million, most of his earnings came from his footballing life and also in his career he has endorse some big brands like Reebok and many other brands.
