Friday, 22 April 2011

Casillas: Next challenge, the tenth Champions League

The hands of Casillas are envied. He has saved impossible balls in special days like Wednesday and has lifted all possible trophies for an elite player. His best habitats are the finals, more specifically those that are played at a match. Between club and national team, he has played 13 and won 10. Except the titles that are played over two legs (Spanish Super Cup) the statistics remains in eight disputed and only one defeat (the Intercontinental Cup against Boca Juniors, 2000).

Iker Casillas with the Spanish Cup trophy
Iker Casillas with the Spanish Cup trophy

In them, Casillas conceded just three goals; two of Martin Palermo in that final lost and one of Van Hooijdonk in the European Super Cup against Feyenoord, 2002. He has not received any goal at the World Cup final, nor at the European Championship, nor at the Intercontinental, nor at those of Champions League (Cesar received the goal against Leverkusen), nor at the Spanish Cup against Barcelona.

With a track record that includes the World Championship, the European Championship, Champions League (2), Intercontinental (2), European Super Cup, Spanish League (4), Spanish Cup and Spanish Super Cup (3), apart from other sub-titles such as Under-20 FIFA World Cup or best goalkeeper in the world by IFFHS, Iker Casillas, beyond UEFA Europe League that he has never played and a Golden Ball, "forbidden" for goalkeepers, now sets the challenge of a third Champions League.

"We have shown we can beat anyone, now we go for the Champions League", said Wednesday with the Spanish Cup trophy resting in his hand. Exceeded the Cup wall and Barcelona ( he had not won against Guardiola), he sets Wembley, a stadium that he has never stepped on, as the next line on his curriculum to match the biggest players in European football.

Won everything, there is always something more to win, the goalkeeper should consider, as contradictory as it may seem. And broken the barrier of the Cup, looking for the Champions League, nine years after the last, the tenth of Real Madrid. To do this, another challenge, a two-legged tie against the best Barcelona of all time.