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MADRID. — “C’est fini”. With those few words in French a tearful Iker Casillas brought to an end his farewell statement yesterday to the Real Madrid fans he has served as first-team goalkeeper and captain for 16 seasons.
Casillas struggled to hold back the tears yesterday as the Spanish goalkeeper said his goodbyes to Real Madrid fans before completing his move to Portuguese giants Porto.
Casillas joined Real’s youth academy in 1990 and has been with the club ever since, winning 18 major honours along the way.
Dressed in a dark blue shirt and sitting alone in front of the assembled media at the Bernabeu Stadium Press room, the 34-year-old, who is leaving for Portuguese side Porto, choked up several times as he thanked Real for “giving me every- thing”.
“This club also moulded me as a person and helped me to grow,” said Casillas, who joined the Real academy at the age of nine and debuted for the first team at 18.
“Beyond remembering me as a good goalkeeper or a bad goalkeeper I just hope that people remember me for being a good person,” he added.
He also said: “I have come to this great stadium today to say goodbye to all of you. Especially to the Madrid fans. As of Saturday I’m no longer a Real Madrid player, now I’ll be a Porto player. I am moving to Porto for many reasons.
“Firstly, I am joining Porto because of the excitement that the coach has transmitted to me. Secondly, because of their affection, they have won me over.
“I’ll do everything I can to not disappoint them and fight as hard as possible to win as many titles as I possibly can there.
“This club didn’t just teach me how to be a sportsman, it taught me how to be a person. I’ve learned a lot from all of my coaches. They have been a fundamental part of my development and my career. Every day we’ve been forming a part of Real Madrid and they’ve always supported me. I want to say thank you to my parents and all my family.
“Thank you to the Madrid fans for their support, helping me lift every cup, every triumph, for being with me in the good moments and the bad moments. For giving me a hand when I needed lifting up. I don’t want to be remembered as a good goalkeeper or a bad goalkeeper, I just want to be remembered as a good person, with my faults.
“Thank you. Thank you. A thousand thank yous. Wherever I go, I will always shout Hala Madrid.
“I’m sure in the future we’ll see each other. I’m not going to say goodbye, because it’s not goodbye. I hope to see you soon. Thank you, to all of you.”
Casillas was speaking after Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo published an interview with his parents yesterday in which they said their son had been forced out of the club by president Florentino Perez.
Casillas had been the victim of an orchestrated campaign of “vilification” in recent years which eventually prompted his decision to quit, they added.
Real did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Casillas did not take questions after making his statement, in which he did not mention Perez by name.
The impression remains that the Spain captain is leaving under a cloud after he was whistled by some fans at the Bernabeu last season, when the club failed to win major silverware.
It was telling that no Real officials appeared with him yesterday, in huge contrast to his close friend and former Spain team mate Xavi Hernandez.
Xavi (35) left Barcelona for Qatari side Al Sadd at the end of last season and was given a series of rousing send-offs by fans, officials and team-mates at the Nou Camp.
Casillas said he was excited about joining Porto, who are coached by Spanish ex-keeper Julen Lopetegui, and that he would fight hard to win as many trophies as possible.
His decision to leave Real is widely believed to have been prompted by the expected arrival of Manchester United’s David De Gea, the 24-year-old former Atletico Madrid man who is also being groomed to take over as Spain keeper.
Regular playing time in Portugal for Porto should allow Casillas to extend his international career at least until next year’s European Championship in France. — Reuters
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