post here good reviews about our IKER

La Liga Team Of The Week: Round 7

Goal.com picks out the best performances in Spain's La Primera over the weekend.

Barcelona and Real Zaragoza were the big winners this week, picking up 3-0 home wins over Atletico Madrid and Levante respectively, with Lionel Messi and Ricardo Oliveira starring.

The shocks of the week were delivered at the Mestalla and the Sanchez Pizjuan, Espanyol defeating Valencia 2-1, and Deportivo pipping Sevilla 1-0.

Racing Santander and Real Madrid come next, both picking up 2-0 wins. Real Mallorca also triumphed by two goals, coming from behind thanks to another inspired display from Juan Arango.

Second placed Villarreal dropped to third, going down 2-3 to Osasuna at the Reyno de Navarra.

The final two games of the week saw Athletic Bilbao held at home by Almeria, and Betis pick up a point in Murcia. This week's best line up in a 4-3-3.

Goalkeeper

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid): The Spanish international did what he does best - bail Real Madrid out of tight spots that they managed to squeeze themselves into now and again.

Defenders

Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid): Los Merengues may have kept a clean sheet, but there were quite a few mistakes from both Fabio Cannavaro and Gabriel Heinze. Ramos, however, was solid both in defence and in attack, as much with his movement as his aerial prowess.

Fabricio Coloccini (Deportivo): The Argentine helped his side to a shock away win over Sevilla, keeping a clean sheet with an inspired display against the likes of Kanoute and Kone.

Gabriel Milito (Barcelona): Simply put, had Diego Forlan in his pocket. Barcelona finally have both Puyol and Milito fit together, and the effects were there to be seen against a side who had scored almost twenty goals in five games.

Juanfran (Zaragoza): The 31-year-old left-back conributed at both ends of the pitch in what was eventually a thumping win over Levante.

Defensive Midfielders

Javi Garcia (Osasuna): The former Real Madrid youngster let glimpse his enormous potential against Pires, Senna and Co., putting up an impressive midfield display and chipping in with the match-winner against then second-placed Villarreal.

Alberto Zapater (Zaragoza): The oft-under-rated midfielder was solid as a rock, allowing his forwards to go on the rampage against Levante.

Alberto Riera (Espanyol): Was the star of Espanyol's show at the Mestalla, one that saw them come from behind in style. Stunning goals from midfield are becoming a habit for him, and it's fifth place and rising for Ernesto Valverde's Uefa Cup finalists.

Forwards

Lionel Messi (Barcelona): He simply will not be left out. Was once again the star of Barcelona's show, setting up the first and scoring the second as Barca blew Atletico Madrid to smithereens. The sole leader in the Pichichi race, with six goals from seven games!

Ricardo Oliveira (Real Zaragoza): Victor Fernandez's boys were always in a battle against Levante, until the Brazilian came on and settled the game with two spectacular goals.

Juan Arango (Real Mallorca): Inspired his team - down to ten men against Getafe - to come from behind and pick up a memorable 4-2 win. His brace takes his goalscoring tally to four for the season.

Casillas

Ramos Coloccini Milito Juanfran

Javi Garcia Zapater Riera

Messi Oliveira Arango

Honourable Mention

Marcelo, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Wesley Sneijder had good games for Real Madrid, with Henry, Ronaldinho, Iniesta, Xavi and Deco all impressing against Atletico Madrid in Barca's most complete display yet this season.

Luis Garcia (Espanyol) and Riki (Deportivo) turned out to be the giant-killers of the weekend, sending Valencia and Sevilla to respective defeats.

Getafe midfielder Francisco David Sousa scored twice against Mallorca, though it all went in vain as his team crumpled to a 4-2 defeat. Ruben Baraja (Valencia) was another player who impressed in a lost cause.

In goal Timo Hildebrand almost kept Valencia from defeat with his string of saves, while Betis goalkeeper Ricardo repeatedly denied Fernando Baiano.

In defence, former Madrid men Carlos Diogo (Zaragoza) and Alvaro Mejia (Murcia) were both in good form, was was former Barca man Damia Abella (Betis). Argentines Roberto Ayala (Zaragoza) and Ezequiel Garay (Racing) also led their respective defenses to clean sheets.

Abhishek Thakur

Press views

The Spanish press deems Raúl and Van Nistelrooy as "the perfect couple"

Every newspaper in Spain praised Raúl's and Van Nistelrooy's partnership the day after Real Madrid's victory over Recreativo Huelva in Madrid. Robben, Casillas and Marcelo were also praised by the press.

MARCA

On Raúl and Van Nistelrooy:

"They led the Whites to success. (...) Two clever partners decided thge outcome of the game. Raúl didn't rest until the victory was achieved. (...) They are becoming the perfect couple, not only because their partnership scores in every game, but because the way they understand each other on the pitch is almost robot-like."
On other players:
"Robben dribbled past his marker frequently and crossed the ball as a winger is expected to. (...) Casillas was faultless. His response to Cáceres' header was sensational, but not as impressive as his second save. (...) Heinze played the perfect game. He made one foul and recovered possession 19 times. (...) Higuaín did well and got Recreativo into trouble. (..) The first goal came from one of Marcelo's ventures in attack."

Better figures than last year

Real Madrid have taken five points more than last season at this stage

The Whites are having a brilliant start to the season, much better than the one they had in the previous campaign. Real Madrid are currently leaders with 19 points, having won six games and drawn only one. This time last year, they had won four clashes, drawn two and lost one. They have scored 13 goals so far, as opposed to last season's 7. Iker Casillas is currently the keeper to have conceded the least number of strikes in the competition.

The team's start to the 2007/08 season is very bright indeed. Real Madrid have so far earned six victories and one draw. These figures are much more impressive than those they had earned this time last year, going on to win the competition at the end of the campaign. Back then, the Whites had 14 points and had won four games, drawn two and lost one (against Getafe on Matchday 6).
Last year, Real Madrid started the campaign with a draw against Villarreal at the Bernabéu, but they began showcasing their true power on Matchday 2 against Levante in Valencia by winning 4-1. They went on to defeat Real Sociedad and Betis, but drawing against Atletico Madrid and losing against Getafe left them on the fifth spot of the League table. This year, on the other hand, the Whites are leaders thanks to winning six games and drawing only one (against Valladolid); some of their victories have been against sides that are having their best season in years, such as Atletico Madrid and Villarreal.

Real Madrid are also scoring more goals this time around. Last year they had tallied a total of 10 strikes (4 of them against Levante) and had conceded three. This year, while also conceding three goals, they have netted 16.

Home victories
Real Madrid have won all their home games so far, some of them against sides they were incapable of defeating at the Bernabéu in the previous campaign (they drew against Atletico and Betis, and lost against Recreativo Huelva).

Iker Casillas
With a an average of 0.42 conceded goals per game (3 in 7 fixtures), Iker Casillas is currently the keeper to have conceded the least strikes in the League. He is followed in the ranking by Víctor Valdés with one more goal.

well these reviews show what we all allready know about iker! HE IS THE BEST! :<>:

great topic :D

In Praise Of Real Madrid's Youth System

‘Zidanes & Pavones’ - A phrase made famous by the erstwhile Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez. A phrase where the roots of the infamous 'Galacticos' can be found. Much has been written about it - and lots of pages have been produced in making fun of that policy. But surely the Real Madrid youth system deserves praise, too?

The Galacticos defined the turn-of-the-century Real Madrid side, and perhaps defined an era in world football, too. Indeed, we now have the ‘Cuatro Magnificos’ - or 'Fantastic Four' - of FC Barcelona or the ‘Fantastic Four’. It remains to be seen if they head the same way as the Galacticos, or if they can carve a new, more successful niche in Spanish football history.

But this article is not about these two groups. Instead, it is for the unsung 'Pavones' of Real Madrid. Or, in other words the youngsters of the Real Madrid, cantera, arguably one of the best youth systems in the world.

Sadly, though, these young players often show so much promise, yet find themselves begging for chances when the time comes to showcase the talent in the Primera in the colours of los blancos.

A bit of background: unlike certain British clubs, the major Spanish clubs each have a wonderful youth system that brings out talented younsters time and again. And its into these pools of talent that coaches like Rafa Benitez dive in - or, as some Madrid fans would say, prey upon - and save some youngsters from drowning in order to gain some young talent of their own.

Lets start by looking at how the Real Madrid team system is arranged.

Real Madrid – The first team. They play in La Liga. Of course.

Real Madrid Castilla - This is the second team. They played in La Segunda until last season's relegation. Now they are in Segunda Division B, a division lower.

Real Madrid C - The third team in the Tercera Division. This is also where the FC Barcelona Team B plays.

Juvenil A - They play in Division de Honor Nacional Juvenil (In essence, the youth 5th Division)

The rest comprise very small teams of very young players. Juvenil B, Juvenil C, Cadete A, Cadete B, Infantil A, Infantil B, Infantil C, Alevin A, Alevin B, Benjamin A and Benjamin B are the names that they go by.

This youth system has produced lots of talented youngsters who have made a name for themselves, Guti and Casillas being prime examples. Guti has been in the first team for a long time now but his inconsistency frustrates a great deal of the fanbase.. One game he is as useful as water in a desert and the very next he is as useless as an air-conditioner in the Arctic!

But what about the others?

Iker Casillas - Well, what can one say about him that hasn’t been said? He is the sole reason Madrid have been in the top 4 for the last 3 or 4 seasons. Rising from the youth teams, he has cemented his position for both club and country at such a young age. No coach has yet dared to touch him. And 'Ikerman', as he is lovingly called by fans, will be there for a long time to come.

Roberto Soldado - He was the last big name to hit the headlines, but he now sits on the bench of Real Madrid, queuing up behind Raul, Ruud & Saviola. The striker was on loan at Osasuna last season and was immensely successful there; duly recalled for this season, he was hyped up only to be on the bench yet again. Apart from pre-season, he is yet to feature in any match. So will he get his due chance to be the next Raul? We have to wait and see.

Portillo – He broke Raul’s goal scoring records in the Castilla, but he was always deemed to be not good enough for the first team. He spent seasons on loan at Fiorentina & Brugge before going on a free transfer to Nastic last season after finding no space in the first team at Madrid. Now, he's at Osasuna, following Soldado's path.

Miguel Torres - a youngster who was thrust into the 'Eternally Fragile' backline of Madrid by Fabio Capello. He's versatile enough to play anywhere at the back, which explains his early debut, but seems to play mainly on the left. Credit goes to him for coming good in that trial by fire last season. It was quite the step up: he was in fact playing for Real Madrid C when Capello picked him.

He signed a new contract during the summer, which raised hopes, but hasn't featured in any game yet. Schuster has even prefered Drenthe to Torres at left-back in recent games. Drenthe is a left sided midfield player and very uncomfortable at LB. And there is also Heinze to contend with now, not to mention Marcelo. So what has Schuster in store for Torres? We don't know as yet but pray that this talented younster doesn't rot on the sidelines.

Granero - Arguably the most talented from last year's Castilla squad. Granero has been with Real Madrid since he was 8-9 years old. He signed a new contract in the summer and is now on loan at cross-town rivals Getafe. Some fans look at him as a future replacement for Guti. There is no denying his talent, but it remains to be seen if he will get a chance when and if he comes back.

Ruben De la Red - Another talent who appeared fleetingly under Capello last season before being sold to Getafe with a buy-back option.

Mata - Only a few months after being promoted from Juvenil A to Castilla, he made the controversial choice to go to Valencia this summer, with his agent's help, in search of first team action. One could understand his looking for chances elsewhere if he was, say, a 21 year old youth team player that had been playing 2 years with Castilla without any chance at Primera Division level.

But Mata's not 21: he's 18, and drastically inexperienced. For such a young midfielder, who only has played a few months in Castilla, his actions seemed inexplicable, and they disappointed quite a few Madrid fans. He is languishing on the bench in Valencia at present.

Diego Lopez - He was Casillas's understudy last season and now is with Villareal. A classy goal keeper but unfortunately would never have been first choice as Casillas is the undisputed No.1 for both club and country. Still, a big-money summer move to the Madrigal showed his pedigree.

Talking of goalkeepers, there is Jordi Codina, the current understudy to Casillas (besides Dudek), and Kiko Casilla, who are both very good. It’s amazing to see how many top-class keepers Spain has produced over the years when compared to the drought in England.

Jurado – A talented midfielder with a wicked left foot, sold to Athletico Madrid with a buy-back clause.

Javi Garcia - Another name that seemed promising but just wasn't given the chances to show it. He is now at Osasuna.

Adrian is the son of Real Madrid legend, Michel, who coached Castilla last season (and had them relegated). He is obviously not as talented as his father was as a player, but still promising.

Bueno has quality, but his problem is his physical stature. This was very noticeable in the pre-season games. It needs to be seen if he can stand the test of the tough defenders of the Primera Liga.

Negredo can be a good forward for any other first division club in Spain. He was sold to Almeria this summer with a buy-back clause.

Adan, Sergio Sanchez, and Nieto are just some of the other names that come to mind. One has to admit that some are definitely not of the high quality that a top club like Madrid needs, but they will probably make it at a decent first division team in the future.

In fact if you look at any club in La Liga (ok, except maybe FC Barcelona), it will not be hard to find at least one player who has come through the Madrid ranks.

And we have only mentioned Castilla players till now. The talent runs deeper down the echelons of the youth at the Bernabeu. Here are some other very young players to look forward to in the future:

David Moreno, Dani Parejo, Guerroro, Jose Luis Arrollo, Nacho (Jose Ignacio Fernandez), Cristian Benavente, Javier Llorente etc., the latter being a Peruvian. Indeed, Nacho and Arrollo are actually playing with Spain under-17 national team.

But the one player that not just Real Madrid fans, but all football fans will be eagerly waiting for is Enzo. Did you say Enzo who? Well, he prefers not to use his famous last name on his shirt: Enzo Zidane.

He's named after the Uruguayan footballer Enzo Francescoli, who was Zinedine Zidane's childhood hero. Need I say more? He is just 12 years old, though, so let's wait a few more years to see him rise.

And what happened to Pavon, the player whose name was associated with the cantera policy? After spending a few seasons warming the bench and playing bit part roles in the first team of Real Madrid, this summer Paco Pavon finally put pen to paper and signed a contract with Real Zaragoza.

Time will tell if any of these talented Real Madrid youngsters mentioned above will get their day in the sun like the recent FC Barcelona introductions, Giovanni Dos Santos & Bojan Krkic.

If not, then at least the cantera will always be a happy hunting ground for the likes of Rafa Benitez.

Chetan Bambolkar

Denmark 1-3 Spain

Spain take a step closer to the Euro 2008

Raúl Tamudo enjoyed a terrific return to international football to help Spain take a giant step towards UEFA Euro 2008 and effectively end Denmark's qualifying hopes.

Spain soar
Tamudo, whose previous appearance came over two years ago, was only involved due to injuries to David Villa and Fernando Torres. But the RCD Espanyol captain made the most of his chance, scoring Spain's opener and then setting up Sergio Ramos for their second just before half-time. Denmark pulled a goal back on 87 minutes through Jon Dahl Tomasson, but substitute Albert Riera's superb debut strike secured for Spain the spoils in Aarhus. The win puts Spain on 22 Group F points, the same as leaders Sweden, who beat Liechtenstein 3-0, and eight more than fourth-placed Denmark.

Ramos scores
Spain took the lead on 14 minutes when Andrés Iniesta crossed to the far post where Tamudo directed a looping header back across stranded Denmark goalkeeper Thomas Sørensen and into the net. It was Tamudo's fifth international goal in ten games, and five minutes before half-time he teed up Ramos to double the advantage. Tamudo's slick first-time pass put Ramos through on the right and the Real Madrid CF defender coolly dinked a shot over the on-rushing Sørensen. Cesc Fabregas almost made it 3-0 moments before the break when his toe-poke from the edge of the box was tipped into the air by Sørensen before hitting the top of the crossbar.

Bendtner chances

Spain continued to threaten after the interval, but Denmark were not without their opportunities and Jesper Grønkjær blazed a decent opening wide before substitute Nicklas Bendtner was twice denied. First Iker Casillas stuck out a foot to somehow keep out his thumping close-range header, before the Arsenal FC forward hit the post with an 18-metre strike. Casillas produced another wonderful stop with five minutes remaining to deny Thomas Kahlenberg's header, before the Madrid keeper was finally beaten in the 87th minute when Tomasson slotted in Kenneth Perez's cut-back. Any prospect of a late Danish fightback evaporated two minutes later when Riera marked his first cap with a stunning goal, the Espanyol winger smashing an unstoppable 20-metre shot into the roof of the net.




MATCH REPORT
1 - Denmark: Sorensen; Helveg; Martin Laursen, Ulrik Laursen, Niclas Jensen (Kenneth Pérez, 78') ; Poulsen, Andreasen (Bendtner, 46'), Daniel Jensen, Rommedahl, Tomasson & Gronkjaer (Kahlenberg, 64')
3 - Spain: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Marchena, Albiol, Capdevila; Joaquín, Xavi, Albelda (Pablo, 63'), Iniesta; Cesc (Luis García, 78') & Tamudo.
GOALS:
0-1, 10': Tamudo.
0-2, 44': Sergio Ramos.
1-2, 87': Tomasson.
1-3, 88': Riera.
REFEREE: Lubos Michel (Slovakia). Booked Daniel Jensen and Capdevila.
HIGHLIGHTS: Group F qualifier for the Euro 2008. Venue: NRGI Stadium in Aarhus. Attendance: 19,849.


Uefa.com

Espanyol are on-form and Real Madrid have not gone four matches without conceding in nine seasons now, but Casillas is in fine form and has saved more efforts than any other goalkeeper in the Primera thus far.

Steve Michaels, Goal.com

The fact that iker is unbeatable is obvious because Casillas claims more merit if we take into account that Iker is the keeper of the League to make more stops.
In total, Iker has already stopped 35 shots, seven more than Wright (Athletic), and eight more than Moya (Mallorca), second and third respectively.

marca.com

this is a few days old but i just read it and i think it deserves to be here:

And they succeeded thanks to two key players: Raul and Casillas. The contribution of goalkeeper is not new. Yesterday again he saved Madrid. Iker made two stops merit and those for a long time that I did not see. It was a routine action in the doormen of the 70s, because these reflexes and courage are scarce at present. The first stop Martin Caceres was sensational, but the second Beto is still much better because it shows that his power in the legs is brutal.

[...]Casillas always appears when it is most needed and return to give the three points to his team.

[...]Iker is the best and the marked difference between him and others is that he deals with the ball decisively.

[...] Raul was the only one who lived up to Casillas.

as.com

this is a comment written about the last game in the CL against olympiacos:

[...]
Robinho brought the crowd to its feet with several stepovers in front of goal that culminated in a successful finish. But another hero emerged in the waning minutes of the match. Casillas again showed why he's a sure bet between the posts of the Santiago Bernabéu by making two near-impossible saves.


realmadrid.com

The Yesterday was the same movie ever. Already playing in the Bernabeu or any court in Spain or Europe. I don't get tired of saying that Casillas is the only goalkeeper to tackle the ball at the scheduled time and at the right time.He did the greatest save and Madrid went on to win 4-2. All in a minute and thanks to Iker. People were happy to see a winning team.The goalkeeper remains a figure illuminated by God. The ball in the last minute so testifies. His masterful was stretched. The fourth goal I pushed Balboa but the real author was Casillas. The public is not stupid, shouted "Iker, Iker!" Because the victory was theirs only thanks to him.

I do not agree that goalkeepers are elected to win the Golden Ball, but this time, with Casillas, I understand the exception. The reason is obvious: the Madrid remains here becasuse of the virtues of his goalkeeper. The team wins by his surname and because the arc is a lad who is incomparable.


AS.com

omg!this article is amazing it shows who great Iker is!!

realmadrid vs olympiacos

The hosts were stunned when former their former player, Julio Cesar, put Olympiacos back in front, but fought back to claim all three points thanks to two goals from Robinho and a last ditch effort from Javier Balboa, after Iker Casillas had saved his side from dropping two points.


[...] In injury time, Casillas made himself a hero with a spectacular save to deny substitute Darko Kovacevic as the former Real Sociedad striker sent the ball towards the far corner only to see the Spanish keeper pull off a fine save to deny him.

goal.com

The boy[iker] has done greater, he learned to correct his defects and the past year he gave quality to his jumps thanks to the work of Franco Tancredi, the goalkeepers’ trainer of Capello who folloed from Italy the evolution of Iker as if he was his son. Casillas finally blocked the aerial shots with firmness and under the poles and hand-on-hand he continues being the best goalkeeper in Europe. That is to say, he continues on the road to be the an almost perfect goalkeeper. But what is more important is that he already feels the captain on the pitch, with command and leadership. He is no longer caught by the television complaining. Now he shouts “Let’s go!” He is a leader

as.com

The long shadow of Zamora
Controversial and acrobatic in equal measure, the chain-smoking, brandy-loving Ricardo Zamora made the position of goalkeeper something of a glamour role in the early quarter of the 20th century. Since then Spain has gone on to produce a long string of highly effective No1s.

A quick glance at the top sides in La Liga and even the English Premier League attests to an unprecedented glut of outstanding Spanish keepers that have become the envy of Europe.

Through the glory days of Zamora - for whom the best goalkeeper award in the top flight is named - Spain has produced a steady line of talented keepers. From Luis Arconada in the 70s and 80s and then on to Basque legend and all-time national team record appearant Andoni Zubizarreta in the 80s and 90s, a new generation has given way to an almost impossible number of potential starters for Spain.

Unlike some other big leagues in Europe, the vast majority of Spanish top-flight teams are backstopped by native Spaniards. Chief among them would, of course, be Iker Casillas of league leaders Real Madrid. Still only 26 years old, Iker's odd name is on top of every pundit's list of the world's top keepers including a recent FIFA.com poll.

Famously stepping into the Real Madrid first team in 1999 (while still a teenager and taking public transport to the Bernabeu), Casillas has become a huge idol at a club known for producing goal-scoring stars rather than shot-stopping ones. Many say that, in a team known for conceding goals, Casillas' reflexes and leadership (he is vice captain) have saved Los Merengues' bacon on more than a few occasions.

Though he has had one or two famous howlers, 25-year-old Victor Valdes of Barcelona has covered himself in glory over the last three seasons. Powerful and agile, the Catalan-born man has become a hero of the Camp Nou. Helping the club to their first league title in six years in 2005, he picked up the Zamora trophy before performing a decisive function in his team's UEFA Champions League-winning campaign the next year. Valdes then went on to break a long-standing club record held by Zubizarreta by starting in 38 rounds of La Liga and going 466 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal in Europe.

The 'big two' get most of the accalim, but Spain's 'lesser' clubs boast some magnificent talent between the posts as well. Valencia's Santiago Canizares, although ageing and embroiled in a duel for a starting berth with Timo Hildebrand, has been one of the country's top keepers since 1998.

It was then that he went to Valencia to replace the retiring Zubizarreta, and he is still beloved, even at 37, by the Mestalla faithfhul. The national team's perennial number-two behind Zubi and then Casillas, Canizares has put in blinding perfromances at moments in his career and will be remembered accordingly.

Similarly, UEFA Cup champions twice running, Sevilla have a large debt to pay to their wonderful goalie Andres Palop, once an understudy to Canizares at Valencia. Aside from being a brilliant shot-stopper and penalty-saving specialist, Palop even knows a thing or two about scoring, making headlines by grabbing a crucial goal against Shakhtar Donetsk in last year's UEFA Cup run.

The foreign brigade
The ability of Spain's goalkeepers has not gone unnoticed overseas either. Two of England's biggest clubs are currently balanced on the shoulders of Spaniards in the form of Jose Manuel 'Pepe' Reina at Liverpool and Arsenal's Manuel Almunia, who recently unseated long-time Gunners starter Jens Lehmann.

Reina was Spain's third-choice keeper at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ (behind Cassillas and Canizares), but he is the head man in charge of the rearguard at Rafa Benitez's Reds. In addition to his reflexes and huge frame, Reina is also renowned for an uncanny ability to drive a low drop-kick out of his box and up to the forwards.

One of his booming outlet passes actually opened the door for a goal for his countrymen Fernando Torres at the weekend to seal a late win over Fulham in the league. "A modern goalkeeper needs to be able to read the game, and Pepe does this," Benitez said. "You can save 100 shots, but if you don't do something more you will not be a top class goalkeeper."

Almunia is currently holding a firm grip on the reins at Premier League forerunners Arsenal. Some are saying that his position may not be permanent at the Emirates, but Arsene Wenger and all the world's top managers can soothe themselves in the knowledge that a quick look at La Liga may well offer the answer to any goalkeeping questions.

Diego Lopez of Villarreal and Tomas Martinez of Racing Santander are looking like stars for the future, keeping the endless procession of Spanish keepers marching on.

FIFA.com

Goal.com Profile: Iker Casillas

He is often referred to by many nicknames: The Saviour, The Guardian Angel, The Saint. Call him whatever you like but Iker Casillas has consistently been one of the top three goalkeepers in the world ever since rising to prominence in 2000. Goal.com looks closer at Real Madrid and Spain's number one...

Standing at just 1.85 metres and with a slight frame, Casillas is not built like the conventional goalkeeping greats of recent years such as Peter Schmeichel or Oliver Kahn, or even his current contemporaries Petr Cech (1.96m) and Gianluigi Buffon (1.91m).

In fact, if you were watching him for the very first time, you could easily mistake him for a zippy attacking midfielder forced to replace his goalkeeper who's just been sent off with no substitutions remaining.

Ofcourse, he makes up for his shortcomings - no pun intended - with his amazing acrobatic abilities, cat-like reflexes, show-stopping saves and his impressive one-on-one duels, all of which have become as much his own trademark as the pirouette was to Zidane and as pin-point crosses are to Beckham.

Little Iker

Iker Casillas Fernández was born on the 20th of May 1981 in Móstoles, the Madrid area's second most populous city. Even in his childhood days, his dream has always been to become a professional footballer for his favourite hometown club, Real Madrid.

Despite claiming that he never intended to be a goalkeeper and was only forced into it by his father, José Luis Casillas, who was a civil servant for the Ministry of Education by day and a football fanatic by night, by the age of eight he was already playing infront of goal for the Real Madrid junior team.

His rise has been meteoric ever since being discovered at a trial session at the Bernabéu where he impressed coaches and scouts alike, but even at a young age he had already familiarized himself with success.

His first real taste of glory came with the Spanish national junior team when they won the Under-16 European Championships in 1997. Two years later in 1999, he was part of the Spanish U-20 squad that won the FIFA World Youth Cup in Nigeria.

He was barely 18 and already he had two precious gold-coloured medals to show off to his schoolmates and neighbours. But bigger life-changing experiences, and titles, were to follow as his club came knocking on the door.

Into The Big League

It was the 1998/99 league season when, at age 17, he was promoted from the 'B' team to the senior squad by John Toshack. The fresh-faced teenager was in the middle of high school art class when news broke that he would be included in the Madrid squad for an upcoming Champions League encounter.

Although he was an unused sub in that game, within a year he would make his official club debut in a 2-2 draw against Athletic Bilbao in September 1999.

And a mere eight months later in May 2000, he went on to become the youngest ever goalkeeper - at 19 years and 4 days old - to play in the final and win the Champions League after the 3-0 triumph over Valencia in Paris.

Just under a month after that, he made his debut for the Spanish national team in a friendly against Sweden in a game that ended in a 1-1 draw.

His glowing performance would prompt Spain's coach at the time, José Antonio Camacho, to include the youngster in the squad to travel to Belgium and the Netherlands for Euro 2000 to act as an understudy to José Molina and to the very player he upstaged just a month earlier, Santiago Cañizares.

All this before his 21st birthday!

Lucky Breaks

Casillas is regarded as the guardian angel for Los Blancos, but he himself appears to have an angel constantly looking over his shoulder. His career has been blessed with good fortune, even if it was at the expense of others.

His big break infact came in that '99/00 Champions League final victory against Valencia when he was thrown into the starting line up to replace an injured Bodo Illgner. Although it was his teammates further up the field who won all the praise, the youngster heralded his arrival in world football by putting on a solid, mature display and keeping a clean sheet.

Two years later, in the closing stages of the 2001/02 campaign, Casillas had to endure a spell of poor form - due mainly to the distractions of on-going contract negotiations - and was dropped by then coach Vicente del Bosque for the Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen in Hampden Park.

César Sánchez was the deputy but the veteran fell injured towards the tail-end of the match and had to be substituted. With Real leading by the slimmest of 2-1 margins and still 20 minutes on the clock, Casillas was called into impromptu action, and didn't he ever deliver the goods!

The then 21 year old became an overnight hero as he single-handedly kept his team in the lead with a series of superlative stops, including a rapid-fire triple save in the dying minutes of the game. So memorable was his performance that he almost stole the limelight from a certain Zinedine Zidane, who had scored that magical volley earlier in the encounter.

Just less than a month later, in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, another injury incident to a teammate effectively gave Casillas his breakthrough into the national team. First choice goalie Cañizares had suffered a freak accident just prior to the tournament when he dropped an aftershave bottle on his foot, and the young Real custodian was handed the number one jersey.

Ever since then, he's proved himself irreplaceable.

Saint Iker

Just like the two previous occasions, Casillas grabbed the toro by the horns and seized the opportunity that he was given. His performances in Korea-Japan won him universal praise and acclaim, especially after the Round of 16 penalty shootout win over the Republic of Ireland where he saved three penalties in the one game.

If there had been any lingering doubts before about his status as one of the top goalkeepers in the world, it was certainly put to bed by the end of that match as the Spanish press aptly went on to dub him 'Saint Iker' due to those stunning penalty stops.

Back at club level, his stock would continue to skyrocket thanks to his astonishing, often miraculous performances week in, week out, season after season. Even though his club would go through one of their most tumultuous periods in their history and his fellow players were falling by the wayside one by one, the shot-stopper continued to be the immovable rock of the side, going from strength to strength in the face of adversity.

In recent years, forced to play behind a notoriously shaky defence, he has matured remarkably and improved on a few weak areas of his game, most notably his handling of crosses and his growing confidence to command his backline by barking orders and yelling at his teammates.

It wasn't that long ago when he was just the shy, timid, skinny goalkeeper with the oversized gloves around his hands.

Astonishing Statistics

The babyfaced keeper, who once had a Champions League medal in his pocket but not a driver's licence in his wallet and had to take public transport to training, has already won every single piece of accolade on offer in club football, including three Spanish League titles, two Champions League medals, an Intercontinental Cup and the Spanish and European Supercups.

He also picked up the Bravo award back in 2000, a title presented to the most promising young (under-21) player in Europe and past winners include luminaries such as Emilio Butragueño, Marco van Basten, Ronaldo and his idol and peer, Gigi Buffon.

In addition, he has chalked up close to 300 league appearances for Real Madrid, 82 Champions League games and 70 caps with Spain, all at senior level. Yet, he is just 26 years old, an incredibly young age not only for an undisputed first choice keeper for club and country but also for someone who has just cemented his role as captain of the national team.

Despite his enviable club achievements, it's international success that Casillas is really craving, as do all Spaniards. The 2002 and 2006 World Cup and Euro 2004 campaigns had bordered between disappointment and disaster for the custodian, despite his worthy performances in those tournaments.

But at the rate success has been coming his way all his life, you get the feeling that it's only a matter of time before Saint Iker adds the remaining few pieces of missing silverware to his glittering collection. And you wouldn't want to bet against a man known for 'miracles' and 'saves'.

La Liga Team Of The Week: Round 13

Goal.com picks out the best performers in Spain's La Primera over the weekend.

After all the talk of crisis during the last two weeks, it was almost ironic as events over the last two days made it Barcelona's weekend.
Real Madrid failed to keep up with a Murcia side that grew stronger as the game progressed, Villarreal were kept quiet by Almeria to the point of Manolo Pellegrini's frustrated outburst, and lacklustre Valencia slumped to Racing.

That meant that Barcelona's 3-0 win made it a doubly sweet weekend for the Catalans; firstly because there was an impressive collective display that Frank Rijkaard badly needed, and secondly because the three points saw them close back to within two points of the league leaders.

Atlético de Madrid went fifth with by winning a seven-goal thriller, while Espanyol went one better, moving into a surprise fourth spot with an away win over Osasuna, Valdo putting in an inspirational display against his former club

Zaragoza disappointed in only managing a 1-1 draw, but credit is due to Getafe, who could well have won the game. However, the biggest shock of the week was Sevilla slumping at home to an absolutely inspired Real Mallorca side, who now move into eighth.

Finally, at the bottom of the table, Riga's heroics saw Levante defeat Real Betis 4-3, while Athletic Bilbao and Deportivo shared four goals to remain near the danger zone.

There were a number of great performances from attacking midfielders, and for once, no number nine really stood out enough to make the best eleven.

Goalkeeper:German Lux

Defenders:Pablo Pinillos , Ezequiel Garay , César Arzo , Éric Abidal

Midfielders:Valdo (Espanyol),Maxi Rodríguez,Borja Valero,Mustapha Riga,Jonas Gutiérrez

Forwards:Lionel Messi


Honourable Mentions

Iker Casillas saved Real Madrid from what could have been a defeat in Murcia.



Abhishek Thakur

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Real Madrid - Iker Casillas

It's difficult to single out one or two of Madrid's stars for special attention when they are all in full flight. But when truly and literally in full flight, hardly anyone comes close to Casillas. After his superhuman heroics at Bilbao last week was followed up with an extraordinary double save late in the game against Lazio, fans will be as eager to see Iker's acrobatics as much as Raúl, Robinho and co. strutting their stuff at the other end.

www.goal.com

La Liga Team Of The Week: Round 18

Abhishek Thakur picks out the best in La Liga over the weekend.



Top two sides Real Madrid and Barcelona were handed a rough beginning to the new year, and had to scrap hard for a win, to the point that few would have called it undeserved had they been beaten.

Real Madrid can thank Iker Casillas for rescuing them from what was a very poor defensive and midfield display (hurt by the absence of Pepe), while Barcelona can thank the defeat to Los Merengues two weeks ago. Some harsh lessons seem to have been learnt.

Valencia also struggled, but as has become common practice for them, failed to come through, being held at home by rock bottom Levante.

The week belonged to last season's Uefa Cup finalists Sevilla and Espanyol. On Saturday, Espanyol humiliated Villarreal 3-0 to consolidate third place, with Raul Tamudo and Luis Garcia sending fans wild. Exactly 24 hours later, Sevilla hit three past stunned Betis to move closer to the European spots.

Three more sides impressed - Atletico Madrid, Real Valladolid and Murcia - all riding on fine individual displays to also secure 3-0 wins. Sergio Aguero inspired Atleti, Abel did the business for Murcia, while Vivar Dorado returned to maul former employers Getafe with a hat-trick.

Elsewhere, Racing Santander went back into sixth place with a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao, while Recreativo and Almeria shared the spoils.

Goalkeeper

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid): If there were any who questioned his pedigree as one of the world's best goalkeepers, they will have been silenced for good on Sunday night, watching him keep Real Madrid in the game almost single-handedly. That is what you call divine intervention.

Defenders

Daniel Alves (Sevilla)

Rafa Marquez (Barcelona)

Cesar Arzo (Real Murcia)

Alvaro (Levante)

Midfielders

Ivan de la Pena (Espanyol)

Vivar Dorado (Valladolid)

Diego Capel (Sevilla)

Forwards

Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid)

Luis Garcia (Espanyol)

Raul Tamudo (Espanyol)

Casillas

Marquez Arzo Alvaro

Dorado De la Pena

Alves* Aguero Capel

Luis Garcia Tamudo

* Daniel Alves handed a roaming right sided role.

Honourable Mentions

The first two that deserve mention are Robinho (Real Madrid fans will be jumping at me) and Sevilla's Luis Fabiano (no I have nothing against Brazil).

The winger made a stunning late impact to punish Zaragoza for their wastefulness, while the striker led from the front as Sevilla handed Betis a derby thrashing. However, neither could make it into the final eleven due to some superior displays.

Barcelona's Thierry Henry made an impact coming on, so there may yet be hope for the Catalans after the departure of Samuel Eto'o.

There were a couple of good goalkeeping displays, with Timo Hildebrand producing some fine saves to deny Levante what would have been a shock win, and Vladan Kudovic almost outdid him at the other end.

Hapless Zaragoza deserve a mention for playing some good football. Peter Luccin was particularly impressive pulling the strings in the middle, but the likes of Diego Milito, Sergio Garcia and Ricardo Oliviera can only blame themselves for failing to make it count.

Abhishek Thakur

Desperate Measures

Of course, there is no need for history to repeat itself. Real Madrid have changed much since those heady Galactico days, with teamwork now the emphasis, and some younger, hungrier players eager not to repeat the errors of the past.

But still, the state of the squad is such that a late collapse remains a danger.

Bernd will no doubt be all too aware of the travails awaiting his side between now and summer, but what may trouble him more is exactly what to do about them. Nervousness is beginning to seep into the play at Madrid, and if the manager's attitude soon follows, then what once seemed to be an unsinkable ship could quickly capsize.

What's to be done? Solidifying things at the back is step one. Iker Casillas may well be the world's best, or second best, but he must be given some additional help. Just as Drenthe and Robben excelled when being slotted into the team of late, so too must those players further back.

Moreover, they must do it every week. On present form, that's not going to happen anytime soon, with road games proving most problematic. Madrid's relentless march to the top of the table came off the back of a settled first XI: now it's time to make it a settled group of twenty.

In any case, I believe that Schuster has learned enough - and has just enough depth at his disposal - that he will laed his team to the Liga title. Europe, though, is another matter entirely, and even with Roma in the midst of a mini-crisis, this midweek journey will tell us a lot about Madrid's squad depth, and the character of those fringe players.

Above all, it'll tell us what Bernd can do with them. Can he keep his nerve and get his men back on track without panicking?

Ewan Macdonald, Goal.com

Euro 2008 Debate: Have Your Say On The Spain Squad

Goal.com's Spanish team gives its take on the national team.

Luís Aragonés has already had his say, of course, and his is the one that counts. But fans, naturally, have their own take on the 23 men sent to Austria and Switzerland to represent Spain.

Much animated discussion has taken place between team members over our respective ideal squads, and while there was much common ground, each of our Spanish writers had very different ideas in other places. Here are our suggestions for the Euro 2008 pool -.

Among the interesting factors from our suggestions is that Raúl appears in all but one squads, while he will not be taking part in the tournament. The likes of Gonzalo Colsa and Alberto Lopo feature as dark horses, too, while Andrés Palop of Sevilla has universally been cast aside in favour of Villarreal's Diego López.

There are examples at the other end of the spectrum, too. Juanito, who is in Aragonés squad, found favour with none of our staff, and nor did Zaragoza star Sergio García.

Let's get started. Those players in our writers' squads that will not be at Euro 2008 have been marked in italics.

The Real Squad

GK: Casillas, Reina, Palop
DF: Puyol, Juanito, Arbeloa, Sergio Ramos, Fernando Navarro, Albiol, Marchena, Capdevila.
MF: Fàbregas, Iniesta, Xavi, De la Red, Xabi Alonso, Silva, Cazorla, Senna
FW: Torres, Güiza, Villa, Sergio García

Abhishek Thakur

GK: Casillas, Reina, Diego López
DF: Ramos, Puyol, Cuellar, Albiol, Lopo, Marchena, Amorebieta, Capdevila
MF: Cazorla, Iniesta, Xavi, Senna, Fàbregas, Xabi Alonso, Silva, Lafita
FW: Torres, Raúl, Villa, Güiza

Ewan Macdonald

GK: Casillas, Diego López, Reina
DF: Sergio Ramos, Capdevila, Cuellar, Puyol, Marchena, Amorebieta, Arbeloa
MF: Joaquín, Iniesta, Xavi, Senna, Xabi Alonso, De La Red, Fàbregas, Cazorla, Silva
FW: Torres, Villa, Raúl, Güiza

KS Leong

GK: Casillas, Jose Reina, Diego López
DF: Sergio Ramos, Venta, Puyol, Albiol, Jarque, Marchena, Antonio López, Capdevila
MF: Cazorla, Navas, Senna, Colsa, Xavi, Fàbregas, Iniesta, Capel
FW: Villa, Torres, Raúl, Güiza

Nick Dorrington

GK: Casillas, Diego López, Reina
DF: Sergio Ramos, Puyol, Marchena, Albiol, Fernando Navarro, Arbeloa, Capdevila, Amorebieta
MF: Xavi, Iniesta, Fàbregas, Senna, Cazorla, Silva, De la Red, Capel
FW: Torres, Güiza, Villa, Raúl

Feras Saad

GK: Casillas, Diego López, Reina
DF: Sergio Ramos, Fernando Navarro, Juanito, Pablo Ibáñez, Capdevila, Marchena, Arbeloa
MF: De la Red, Fàbregas, Iniesta, Silva, Senna, Xabi Alonso, Granero, Pablo Hernández
FW: Güiza, Villa, Torres, Luís García (Espanyol), Raúl

George Hasenecz

GK: Casillas, Reina, Diego López
DF: Marchena, Sergio Ramos, Puyol, Capdevila, Albiol, Pernía, Arbeloa, Pablo Ibáñez
MF: Fàbregas, Iniesta, Xavi, Joaquín, Silva, Riera, Senna, De La Red
FW: Torres, Villa, Güiza, Luís García (Espanyol)