Real Madrid: Ranking the 5 best moments of Iker Casillas’ legendary career

3. Last-minute save to ensure La Novena

The Champions League campaign of 2001-02 was another monumental one for Iker Casillas. He won the second Champions League with Real Madrid and was called on the pitch for an injured Cesar Sanchez in the 68th minute of the match. Today, we know the match as the one that established a 20-year old Casillas as Real’s first-choice keeper.

The match is remembered for a thunderous volley that Zinedine Zidane scored off a Roberto Carlos cross that in the end was the difference between the two finalist clubs, Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen.

But, another monumental feat pulled off to ensure La Novena were the three brilliant saves the substitute, Casillas pulled off in the dying embers of the game, 7th minute of the injury time to be specific. Two of them came from Carsten Ramelow. The three back-to-back saves ensured that Los Blancos could wrap the match up within the regulation time which otherwise would have been forced to extra-time.

The scoreline read 2-1 to Real Madrid with goals from Raul and Zinedine Zidane. Lucio scored on the other end against Cesar. But it was Casillas who simply refused to be beaten and ensured both a European title and a first-choice keeping spot.