Among Europe's Best
Iker Casillas selected to UEFA.com's ideal eleven of 2007
Iker Casillas has been named one of UEFA.com's ideal eleven of 2007, thus joining a list of goalkeepers including Buffon, Petr Cech, and Santiago Cañizares.
Casillas was selected by the majority of the four million voters who made their selections on UEFA's official website. Alves, Nesta, Terry, Abidal, Gerrard, Seedorf, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, Drogba, and Ibrahimovic round out the 2007 ideal starting eleven. Casillas isn't just the only Real Madrid representative selected, but the only Spaniard as well. Also nominated for top goalkeeper honour weres Petr Cech, Andrés Palop, Pepe Reina, and Edwin Van Der Sar. This is the first time the Spanish keeper has received this recognition.
Realmadrid.com
'I am no Galáctico'
Running through the names voted on to uefa.com's Team of the Year 2007, Iker Casillas pauses for a moment. Alves, Nesta, Terry, Abidal, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gerrard, Seedorf, Kaká, Drogba, Ibrahimoviæ and, of course, Casillas himself. "Wow! That would be a great team," the Real Madrid CF goalkeeper muses. In his opinion, though, someone is missing. "I'd put Van Nistelrooy in there, for sure."
No.1
While the debate will run as to who most deserved a place in that side, few would begrudge Casillas the No1 jersey. Fabio Capello eschewed the beautiful game to build his title-winning team on defence and, with Casillas in goal, the foundations were solid. Though Madrid did not play with their usual swagger last season, the ends justified the means. "It was better than winning the European Cup," Casillas tells uefa.com. "After four years without a single trophy, the fear, the anguish, the anxiety was palpable among both team-mates and fans. I thought there were many more people celebrating the league title with us last year than when we won the European Cup. The fans are used to us winning trophies. But having gone four years without anything, it seemed they had almost forgotten how to celebrate."
Team Ethic
Former Real Zaragoza coach Víctor Fernández described Casillas as the "the most influential player in the Spanish league". The 26-year-old himself prefers to let others take the acclaim. "Every player in a team has to bring something, has to play a part. That's what I think I do. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes not so well, but always with a desire to help the team." Casillas may have reached for the stars during the Galáctico era, but his feet never left the ground.
Capello Influence
"No soy Galáctico, soy de Móstoles" – I'm no Galáctico, I'm from Mostoles – says Casillas. If he had his differences with Capello, the Italian's insistence on placing the group above the individual struck a chord which still resonates under current coach Bernd Schuster. "It's quite different now. Before, there was a lot of individual quality but very little collective quality. Perhaps the group wasn't considered as important as it is now. Now, above all, we are a group. No individual accepts praise. We accept it as a team."
History Maker
It is surprising how long Casillas has been winning trophies for Madrid. At just 26 he will make his 300th league appearance next month and has already been capped 74 times for Spain. He made his Madrid debut in September 1999 and had just turned 19 when he helped Madrid defeat Valencia CF in the UEFA Champions League final the following May. "It was unforgettable. You think about that from a very young age but never dream it will happen so quickly. That year, every game was like a gift because I had been playing in the third division." The gifts kept coming. Madrid were crowned Spanish champions the next season, then reclaimed European supremacy in 2002. "Imagine it, you're at Real Madrid and every year you win a title. You begin to realise that, little by little, you are entering the club's history. It was a beautiful time with great players, a great team spirit and a great atmosphere in the dressing room."
Leverkusen Thwarted
Zinédine Zidane was perhaps the greatest of them all. His superb volley is credited with winning Madrid the 2002 UEFA Champions League, but of equal importance were the flurry of late saves from Casillas which kept Bayer 04 Leverkusen at bay. Casillas started that match on the bench, before taking a decisive role in securing the trophy. "As soon as I came on, the fans started chanting my name. After two months of frustration on the sidelines that meant a lot. I don't hold any grudges about not starting that game. What happened to me was something beautiful and I'll always remember it."
'Surprise'
Typically, Casillas plays down his part in that triumph. "If you ask me, they weren't great saves. They took me by surprise, three saves in succession, three very quick stops. Maybe the last one I was fortunate to save, or the first that I stopped with my foot, but they weren't spectacular. In a final like that everything is blown out of proportion. We won thanks to Zidane's goal and the whole team's hard work."
'Instability'
Madrid would dominate the Primera División again in 2003 but success then ran dry. A succession of coaching changes took their toll before Capello put Madrid back on track. "The changes affected the team a lot. There was instability, insecurity, lots of negative influences," says Casillas, one constant during a period of flux. "When you don't have continuity, not just with the coach but with the bosses upstairs, the president for example, it affects the players. The decision to appoint Capello was a good one. He helped us become more organised. We latched on to a system that was more defensive but more effective and it helped us win the title."
Roma Test
With an eight-point lead in the Primera División, Madrid are on course to retain their title. There is also a burning desire to make amends for last term's early exit in the UEFA Champions League – they bowed out at this stage against FC Bayern München. This time AS Roma stand between Madrid and the quarter-finals. "I'm not going to think any further than that because when you do, you get a strong slap in the face. Roma are playing very well, they have narrowed the gap to Internazionale and away from home they're a very solid team, tight at the back and dangerous on the counter-attack." With Casillas having just signed a contract for life, what better way to thank Madrid than by beating Roma and moving one step closer to a record tenth European Cup.
UEFA