Iker Casillas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Iker Casillas

Casillas in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Iker Casillas Fernández
Date of birth	(1981-05-20) 20 May 1981 (age 44)
Place of birth	Móstoles, Spain
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1990–1998	Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–1999	Real Madrid C	27	(0)
1999–2000	Real Madrid B	4	(0)
1999–2015	Real Madrid	510	(0)
2015–2020	Porto	116	(0)
Total		657	(0)
International career
1996	Spain U15	1	(0)
1996–1998	Spain U16	19	(0)
1997–1999	Spain U17	10	(0)
1999	Spain U18	4	(0)
1999	Spain U20	2	(0)
1999–2000	Spain U21	5	(0)
2000–2016	Spain	167	(0)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Spain FIFA World Cup Winner 2010 South Africa Team UEFA European Championship Winner 2008 Austria-Switzerland Team Winner 2012 Poland-Ukraine Team FIFA Confederations Cup Runner-up 2013 Brazil Third 2009 South Africa FIFA U-20 World Cup Winner 1999 Nigeria FIFA U-17 World Cup Third 1997 Egypt Team UEFA European Under-16 Championship Winner 1997 Germany
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Iker Casillas Fernández (born 20 May 1981) is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a goalkeeper. Many people consider him one of the greatest goalkeepers ever.

Casillas was known for his amazing saves and quick reactions. Fans often called him "San Iker" (Saint Iker) because of his incredible ability to stop goals. He spent most of his career at Real Madrid. He played over 1,000 professional matches. He also holds the record for the most "clean sheets" (games without letting in a goal) for the Spain national team. After retiring, he became a football commentator. He also works for the Real Madrid Foundation.

At Real Madrid, Casillas started in the youth team. He joined the main team in 1999. He became the youngest goalkeeper to play in and win a UEFA Champions League final. He was only 19 years old. During his time at Real Madrid, he won many big titles. These included five La Liga titles and three Champions League titles.

In 2015, Casillas moved to Porto in Portugal. There, he won the Primeira Liga title. He also set a record for playing in the most Champions League seasons in a row (20). He retired from playing in February 2020. This was after he had a heart attack during training in May 2019.

For the Spanish national team, Casillas played 167 matches. This makes him one of the most capped players for Spain. He became Spain's main goalkeeper at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In 2008, he became captain. He led Spain to win the European Championship that year. He also led Spain to their first ever World Cup win in 2010. Spain then won the European Championship again in 2012. This made them the first nation to win three major international titles in a row.

Casillas was recognized for his skills many times. He was chosen for the UEFA Team of the Year six times in a row. He was also named the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper five times.

Early Life and Family

Iker Casillas was born on 20 May 1981 in Móstoles, Spain. His father, José Luis, worked for the government. His mother, María del Carmen, was a hairdresser. His parents came from a town called Navalacruz.

Iker has a younger brother named Unai. Unai used to play football as a midfielder. The brothers' names are from the Basque region of Spain. Their grandfather lived in Bilbao, and their father grew up there. Iker also lived there when he was very young before his family moved to Madrid.

When Iker was about seven or eight years old, something funny happened. He forgot to mail his father's football predictions for the weekend. His father had guessed all 15 results correctly! The family missed out on winning a lot of money, about €1.2 million.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Real Madrid

Casillas began playing for Real Madrid's youth team in 1990. This youth system is called La Fábrica. In 1997, when he was just 16, he was called up to the senior team for a Champions League match. He didn't play in that game, but it was a big step.

After playing for Real Madrid's C-team, he became a strong candidate for the main goalkeeper spot. In September 1999, he played his first Champions League game. He was 18 years and 177 days old, making him the youngest goalkeeper to play in the competition at that time. A few days before, he made his La Liga debut. In May 2000, just after his 19th birthday, he became the youngest goalkeeper to play in and win a Champions League final. Real Madrid won 3–0 against Valencia.

Becoming a Star (2001–2010)

Casillas briefly lost his starting spot in the 2001–02 season. But he got it back in the 2002 Champions League Final. The main goalkeeper, César Sánchez, got injured. Casillas came on and made amazing saves against Bayer Leverkusen. Real Madrid won the game 2–1.

Casillas playing for Real Madrid in 2009

The 2007–08 season was very successful for Casillas. He helped Real Madrid win their 31st La Liga title. He let in only 32 goals in 36 matches. This earned him the Zamora Trophy, an award for the best goalkeeper in La Liga. In 2008, he signed a contract that would keep him at the club until 2017. His great performances led to him being named in the UEFA Team of the Year.

In 2009, Casillas broke a record. He played his 454th match for Real Madrid as a goalkeeper. This made him the club's most-capped goalkeeper ever, at only 27 years old. There were rumors that other big clubs wanted to sign him. But Casillas said he had no plans to leave his childhood club.

In a 2009–10 season game against Sevilla, Casillas made an incredible save. He ran across his goal to stop a close-range shot. Famous English goalkeeper Gordon Banks praised him, saying Casillas's reflexes were "incredible."

Captain and Champions League Wins (2010–2015)

Casillas, wearing the captain's armband while playing for Real Madrid in 2010

In the 2010–11 season, Casillas became the first captain of Real Madrid. He won the IFFHS Best Goalkeeper award for the fourth time in a row. This made him the only goalkeeper to achieve this. In January 2012, he played his 600th match for Real Madrid. On 2 May 2012, he won his fifth La Liga title. This was his first as captain.

In December 2012, Casillas was benched by his coach, José Mourinho. This caused some disagreements. However, Casillas still won the IFFHS Best Goalkeeper Award for the fifth time in a row in 2012–13. This made him the only goalkeeper in history to win it five times in a row.

Casillas' gloves on display at the Santiago Bernabeu museum

After a serious injury in January 2013, another goalkeeper, Diego López, played in his place. Even after Casillas recovered, López remained the first-choice goalkeeper in La Liga. However, Casillas continued to be the main goalkeeper for the Champions League and Copa del Rey matches. He set a new record of 962 minutes without letting in a goal in the Copa del Rey. In February 2014, he became the first goalkeeper to play in every round of the Copa del Rey without conceding a goal.

On 16 April 2014, Casillas captained Madrid to a 2–1 win over Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final. On 24 May 2014, he captained Real Madrid in the Champions League final. They won 4–1 against Atlético Madrid. This was his third Champions League title.

In the 2014–15 season, Casillas returned as the main goalkeeper. He won the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. In December 2014, he made his 700th appearance for Real Madrid.

Moving to Porto (2015–2019)

Casillas playing for Porto in 2015

On 11 July 2015, Casillas joined Portuguese club Porto. He signed a two-year deal. Some people criticized Real Madrid for how they handled his departure.

Casillas played his first game for Porto on 15 August. He kept a clean sheet in a 3–0 win. On 29 September 2015, he broke the record for most appearances in the Champions League. He played his 152nd Champions League game. He also broke the record for most clean sheets in Champions League history.

On 11 March 2017, Casillas set a new personal record. He had his sixteenth clean sheet in a single season. On 14 March, he played his 175th UEFA club competition match. This made him the player with the most appearances in European club matches.

On 2 April 2018, Casillas played his 1,000th professional match. In May, he won his first trophy with Porto. They won the league title for the first time since 2013. He renewed his contract with Porto for another year.

On 4 August, Casillas won the 2018 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira with Porto. He continued to break records in the Champions League. He played in his 20th consecutive Champions League season. On 11 December, he became the first player to reach the knockout stage 19 times. He also became only the second player to win 100 Champions League matches. His season ended early on 1 May 2019. He suffered a heart attack during training. He was discharged from the hospital on 6 May.

Retirement (2019–2020)

In July 2019, Casillas returned to pre-season training after his heart attack. Porto announced that he would have a role with the club's coaching staff. He was still listed in Porto's squad for the 2019–20 season. In September, he said he would wait until March 2020 to decide if he would return to playing. He officially announced his retirement from professional football on 4 August 2020.

In July 2020, it was reported that he returned to Real Madrid as an advisor. In December 2020, he was appointed as the deputy to the Real Madrid Foundation CEO.

International Career for Spain

Youth and Early Senior Years

Casillas first played for Spain at the under-17 level. At 16, he was the youngest player in the Spanish team that finished third at the 1997 FIFA U-17 World Championship. He later became captain of the U17 team. Two years later, he won the FIFA World Youth Championship.

Casillas is the second most-capped player for the Spain national team. He made his senior international debut on 3 June 2000. He was 19 years old. He was a substitute at UEFA Euro 2000. He became the main goalkeeper for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. This happened when the first-choice goalkeeper, Santiago Cañizares, got injured. At 21, Casillas was one of the youngest main goalkeepers in the tournament. He played a key role in Spain's progress. He saved a penalty in a shootout against the Republic of Ireland. This earned him the nickname "The Saint."

European and World Champions (2008–2012)

Casillas played in all of Spain's matches at UEFA Euro 2004 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In 2008, he became the captain for UEFA Euro 2008. He saved two penalties in the quarter-finals against Italy. Spain won the shootout 4–2. Spain went on to win the competition, beating Germany 1–0 in the final. Casillas kept clean sheets in the quarter-final, semi-final, and final matches. He became the first goalkeeper-captain to lift the UEFA European Championship trophy.

Casillas with the World Cup trophy during celebrations in Spain, July 2010

In 2008, Casillas was ranked fourth in the Ballon d'Or award. He was also named the world's best goalkeeper by the IFFHS.

Casillas was Spain's starting goalkeeper at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. On 5 September 2009, he equaled the national record for clean sheets. He then broke it in the next match. In November, he played his 100th game for Spain.

On 11 July 2010, Casillas captained Spain to their first ever World Cup title. They won 1–0 against the Netherlands in extra-time. He became only the third goalkeeper to captain a World Cup-winning team. He was voted the tournament's best goalkeeper and won the Golden Glove. He kept five clean sheets during the tournament. In the final, he made two crucial saves against Arjen Robben.

Casillas lifting the Euro 2012 trophy, the third consecutive major title for Spain

On 15 November 2011, Casillas became Spain's most-capped player. On 29 February 2012, he equaled Edwin van der Sar's record of 72 international clean sheets. On 30 May, he set the record for most international victories with 95 wins. On 6 June, he set the record for most international clean sheets with 74.

Before UEFA Euro 2012, there were tensions between players from rival clubs. Casillas helped unite the team. On 1 July 2012, Casillas became the first player to reach 100 international wins for his country. Spain defeated Italy 4–0 in the Euro 2012 final. Spain won their third major international trophy in a row. Casillas also set a record for 509 minutes without letting in a goal in the European Championship.

Later International Appearances

In June 2013, Casillas played for Spain at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. Spain reached the final but lost 3–0 to Brazil.

In June 2014, Casillas was chosen for his fourth 2014 FIFA World Cup. In the first match, he made some mistakes as Spain lost 5–1 to the Netherlands. He apologized for his performance. Spain was eliminated from the World Cup after losing their second game. Casillas was benched for the final group game.

On 5 September 2015, Casillas kept a clean sheet in his 100th game as Spain's captain. On 13 November, he kept his 100th international clean sheet. This made him the first goalkeeper ever to reach this milestone. He equaled the European record of 166 caps on 27 March 2016.

On 31 May 2016, Casillas was named to Spain's squad for UEFA Euro 2016. The next day, he became the most-capped European player with his 167th cap. This was his final international appearance. He was the second-choice goalkeeper during the tournament and did not play. Spain was eliminated in the Round of 16.

On 21 May 2018, Casillas was not included in Spain's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Playing Style and Recognition

Casillas making a save in the UEFA Euro 2012 Final

Many experts and other goalkeepers believe Casillas is one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. His nickname "San Iker" came from his amazing saves. He was known for his incredible agility, quick reflexes, and ability to stop shots. He was also good at his footwork and positioning. He was very fast when rushing out to challenge attackers.

Even though he was not the tallest, he was praised for his strong personality and calm attitude. He was also good at organizing his defense. Gianluigi Buffon, another great goalkeeper, called Casillas the best goalkeeper of his time with his hands. Casillas was also known for saving balls with his feet.

Casillas was admired for playing at a high level for many years. However, sometimes he was criticized for not being strong enough in the air or for his handling of crosses. Later in his career, he had some less consistent performances as he got older. But overall, his ability to pass the ball with his hands and feet was reliable.

In 2016, France Football magazine named Casillas the fourth greatest goalkeeper in history.

Outside Football

Personal Life

Iker Casillas was in a relationship with sports journalist Sara Carbonero from 2009 to 2021. They had two sons: Martín, born in January 2014, and Lucas, born in June 2016. They got married in March 2016.

In May 2019, Casillas had a heart attack during training. He recovered well. Later that month, it was announced that his wife was battling cancer. In March 2021, Casillas and Carbonero announced their separation.

In 2013, a street in his hometown of Móstoles was renamed Avenida de Iker Casillas in his honor. In February 2020, Casillas announced he planned to run for president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

Charity Work

In 2011, Casillas became a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme. He also has his own charity foundation, the Fundación Iker Casillas. In 2018, he attended the international social Football for Friendship forum in Moscow.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Honours and Awards

Iker Casillas won many trophies and awards during his career.

Club Trophies

Real Madrid C

• Tercera División: 1998–99 (Group VII)

Real Madrid

• 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: 2002

Porto

• Primeira Liga: 2017–18
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2018

International Trophies

Spain Youth Teams

• UEFA European U-16 Championship: 1997
• UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup: 1999
• FIFA World Youth Championship: 1999

Spain National Team

• FIFA World Cup: 2010
• UEFA European Championship: 2008, 2012

Individual Awards

• 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
• Dragões de Ouro Award – Porto Athlete of the Year: 2018
• Primeira Liga Best Goalkeeper: 2018–19
• Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 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 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
• Golden Foot: 2017
• Globe Soccer Awards – Player Career Award: 2020

Records Held

• Second-most appearances in the UEFA Champions League: 177
• Second-most clean sheets in the UEFA Champions League: 57
• Third-most victories in the UEFA Champions League: 101
• Most consecutive seasons in the UEFA Champions League: 20
• First player in UEFA Champions League history to reach the knockout phase 19 times
• First goalkeeper to win 100 UEFA Champions League matches
• Youngest goalkeeper to play in a UEFA Champions League final: 19 years and 4 days
• Youngest goalkeeper to win a UEFA Champions League final: 19 years and 4 days
• Most penalty kicks saved in the UEFA Champions League (not including shoot-outs): 7
• Most appearances for Real Madrid in UEFA club competitions: 155
• Most IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper Awards: 5 (tied with Gianluigi Buffon and Manuel Neuer)
• Most appearances by a goalkeeper in the FIFPro World XI: 5
• Most appearances by a goalkeeper in the UEFA Team of the Year: 6
• Second-most appearances for the Spain national team: 167
• Most international clean sheets: 102
• Third-most international victories: 121
• Fewest goals conceded by a FIFA World Cup-winning goalkeeper in one tournament: 2 goals in 7 games (in 2010)
• Most clean sheets in one FIFA World Cup: 5 (in 2010)
• Most FIFA World Cup tournaments played for Spain: 4
• Longest unbeaten run at the UEFA European Championship: 509 minutes
• Most clean sheets at the UEFA European Championship: 9
• Most clean sheets in one UEFA European Championship: 5 (in 2012)
• Fewest goals conceded in one UEFA European Championship: 1 (in 2012)
• Most penalty kicks saved in shoot-outs at the UEFA European Championship: 3 (tied with Gianluigi Buffon)
• Only goalkeeper to stop penalties in two different FIFA World Cups (not including shoot-outs): 2002, 2010

Decorations

See also

In Spanish: Iker Casillas para niños

• List of footballers with 100 or more UEFA Champions League appearances
• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
• List of Real Madrid CF records and statistics