Ranking the top 10 captains in Real Madrid history
By Dhun Poptani
8. Pirri
Pirri played as a midfielder often known as an aerial sweeper with his defensive midfield woes played for Real Madrid from 1964 to 1980. Pirri was called up for captaincy in 1976 and remained the captain until 1979 before leaving for FC Puebla, a Mexican football club, in 1982.
The Spaniard broke through the competition by being a captain that enabled the squad to lift the LaLiga trophy back to back three times and the Spanish Cup once, being a runner-up in the 1971 UEFA Cup. A European Champions cup win in 1966 was a part of the foundation of his stellar position as a club player.
His career showed that the player understood the importance a captain needs to fulfill of winning regionally and domestically to cement the balance and dues every season. Thus Pirri’s career shows that the club was in development that looked at adding efforts in a sequential manner that can bring wins, content and reposition of faith.
7. Iker Casillas
Iker Casillas’s excellency and transformation as the captain must be clipped to this article. It can be said that the Spanish goalkeeper had a gruelling end to his stint. However, the La Fábrica player was a pillar of strength with his continuous improvement from 1996 in the academy to his first team debut in 1999.
His notable performance against Bayern Leverkusen in 2002 was when he made crucial saves as a 20-year-old goalkeeper in the UEFA Champions League final. Iker Casillas gave Real glory as a captain, a player who was given a home at the club. Upon Raúl’s departure to Germany, the Spanish goalkeeper rose as captain from 2010 to 2015. The player worked on being the showstopping goalkeeper, enabling him to foresee saves and lead the team with his saves.
As a club captain, Iker Casillas won the UEFA Champions League once, followed by the FIFA Club World Cup once, a LaLiga title once, the Spanish Cup twice, the UEFA Supercup once, and the Spanish Supercup once. Additionally, the goalkeeper became integral to the Spanish National Team as a captain who won the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 UEFA Euro trophy.
The player is hailed as a legend in the club’s history and European football history, and as a result, he earned the name “San Iker”, which translates to “Saint Iker”. Casillas is remembered as a captain who possessed the compassion to help the team with the position he played as a footballer; his direction towards the squad brought serenity as he was always composed.
The team was always solution-oriented, and his mentoring was complete, with a calming reaction in every match. He brought in the mentality of pressing if the team conceded, as this enables the squad to curate touches that built confidence, a result that is a gesture of adaptivity and hard work.