The legendary Goalkeeper Iker Casillas is undoubtedly one of the bests to have guarded the Real Madrid goal and to have captained the side. He turns 40 today and the least we, at The Real Champs could do, was reminisce his great playing days on his birthday. On that note, here are the top 5 Iker Casillas moments in the Royal White kit.
5. First team debut at San Mames
It all started at San Mames. On September 12, 1999, Iker Casillas for the first time, at the age of 18 put on the gloves as he guarded the goal for Real Madrid’s first team. It was the third Matchday of the league.
Though he was beaten twice in the game that ended in a 2-2 draw, he wasn’t at fault for the goals. The first was a brilliant freekick right into the corner by Julen Guerrero, the second an own goal by Nijtap Geremi. Casillas did a good job on his first time out for the first team.
It started the passage of innumerable times, San Iker would be standing in front of the White’s goal as a watchful warrior. The first-team debut is always special for a player and it was the same for Casillas. This is what he said years later about the match being his greatest memory:
"“That’s the greatest football memory I have. I went from playing in the second division B playoffs with Real Madrid C to being at San Mames. You can imagine how different it was from three journalists covering the match, there were now 50. From playing in front of a crowd of 500 to playing in front of 50,000. It was a brutal change.”"
Nonetheless, a change that he adapted to in the finest of styles.