Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has said he wants to make history with his Spain team mates and win back-to-back World Cups following the similar feat they achieved with the European Championships.
Spain became the first national side to win three major tournaments in a row, with their World Cup win in 2010 sandwiched between their successes at Euro 2008 and Euro 2012. And now La Roja will head to Brazil looking to defend their title and continue their domination on the global stage.
Reacting to the group stage draw in which Spain were pitted against the Netherlands, the beaten finalists last time out, along with Chile and Australia, Casillas said the Spanish team know their job will be hard, but they are determined to win.
He told the official Real Madrid website: “We think that it will be difficult because, right now, for all of our teammates and the other teams the first objective is to qualify for the next round and then go as far as possible. All of the teams want to win and Spain are no exception.
“But after the last four years, we know that any rival that faces us will give 100% as they all want to beat us. We’re going there to defend the title we won in South Africa and try to make everybody in our country proud of the Spanish team.”
At just 32, Casillas still has plenty of years ahead of him as a footballer, but admitted the thought had crossed his mind that the World Cup in Brazil may be his last.
“Until June, we’ll see what happens and when the coach gives his list of 23 players, if you’re one of them, you can start to enjoy it and start training with your teammates as if it were your last World Cup. In the case of goalkeepers, we last longer than other players, but sometimes your head is more important than your body. There’s still a long time to go and a lot can happen,” he stated.
