Spain shed its underachiever image when they lifted the Euro 2008 trophy, in the space of 2 years they won the biggest competition in football by lifting the World Cup in 2010, much credit in their success goes to veteran shot-stopper Iker Casillas. The veteran keeper is often the unsung hero, fans remember the contribution of players like Xavi, Iniesta, David Villa, David Silva but only a very few give credit to Casillas.
He is arguably one of the best keepers in the world; he has been performing consistently for both club and country for years. The keeper is a homegrown talent; he came through the ranks of the youth academy of Real Madrid and quickly cemented his place in the national side. He is the youngest keeper to have ever appeared in a Champions League final, he was just 19 when he played against Valencia, two years later Real Madrid made it to the final again but he was dropped because of poor form, he however came on in the second-half and made a series of fine saves to lift the trophy.
Strengths: He has amazing reflexes and is a very consistent performer.
Weaknesses: He is quite rash when he is off his line, this has put him in trouble time and again.
Career High: He was the captain when Spain lifted the World Cup in 2010.
Career Low: Barcelona scored five times against Real Madrid in a game played at the Camp Nou last season, Casillas could not do anything to help his side.
Famous Quotes: "Iker is the perfect captain. I'd give him ten out of ten for everything he does as a keeper, a captain and in the way he behaves. He sees everything so clearly. The whole squad deserve a ten but Casillas more than anyone. As the captain he's the one I speak to the most. He's a phenomenon." Luis Aragones, June 2008.
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