Adan returned from suspension, Casillas continued in goal. Until another twist, Madrid and Spain's goalkeeper broke his hand in a Copa del Rey tie against Valencia; it was revealed it would keep him out for sometime. Then the next day, Marca ran a front cover which said Casillas, Sergio Ramos and one other player went to Florentino President to say either Mou leaves or they do in the summer. Perez called a press conference to deny it , but the seeds of unrest had been planted. Casillas' girlfriend later confirmed internal problems are rife at the Bernabeu.
The 6'5" stopper has since played every match and, after returning from injury, Casillas has been forced to remain on the bench. While the club fought for the collective good of La Decima, things, on the surface, remained calm. It could even be said that, during this period of matches, Mourinho began to win back around the Madridstas. Since the Dortmund defeat it's seemed evident Mourinho will flee the Spanish capital this summer, and he's managed to slip in a few back-handed comments since.
It seems fairly obvious that the former and next? Chelsea manager was criticizing the press and Casillas :. Pepe, Mourinho's countryman, has since defended Iker Casillas following his manager's words: "There needs to be a little more respect to Iker, he's well loved.
What the coach said was not the most appropriate. The lines were clearly drawn when Mourinho dropped him in December and the consequences were lasting. Casillas has not been the same since, but nor has he been anywhere near as bad as his fiercest critics claim.
The coach had diagnosed the decline, said some. He provoked it, said others — if they recognised it at all. He was protected by the media, his detractors complained, but protection was certainly not offered from the club. Those scars remain; relationships have not been repaired. There is a divide that has become entrenched and purely footballing criteria have been buried beneath politics and phobias; it is not just about the player but the legend and the legends.
If there had been questions, that would have been broached and now was not the time; now was the time just to get away. It was hard enough for him to keep it together anyway. Had they spoken for him? Were they right? They could have asked about that but there were no questions, no celebration, no thanks, and no send-off, no fond farewell. Instead, there were just journalists who watched and listened as the Real Madrid captain who has won it all walked in, read a statement, and nine minutes later walked out again, tears in his eyes, alone.
Briefly, they clapped. Despite the ominous forecasts, however, Casillas' agent, Carlos Cutropia, says that retirement "is not something we're worrying about at all. There is cause for optimism, not least because some footballers have even recovered from major surgeries to return to the pitch. Cristiano Ronaldo had minor heart surgery as a teenager before going on to break record after record with Manchester United, Portugal and Real Madrid.
There have been other, less heralded, examples too. Republic of Ireland international Shane Duffy, who now plays in the Premier League for Brighton, underwent life-saving surgery on his liver in after colliding with a goalkeeper, while former Derby County defender Mark O'Brien played in the Championship after having a major heart surgery.
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