Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas has admitted he has felt disappointed by the jeers he has received from some sections of the support this season but has vowed to carry on as the number one.
The 34-year-old has spent 25 years at the club and 16 in the first team set up. During the last decade and a half, the shot stopper has won everything there is to win in the game, including the Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey, World Club Cup, European Super Cup and Spanish Supercopa.
At international level, Casillas is a Spanish legend having made more appearances than any other player in the history of La Roja, and winning the World Cup once and European Championships twice.
In an interview with El Larguero, Casillas said the jeers have upset him at times, but he takes it on the chin and comes back a stronger person for it.
“I don’t cry about the whistles but I have gone home angry. Madrid asks for the best of you, every year. I’ve been in the first team for 16 years and at the club for 25, and if your level is eight you can’t go down to seven-and-a-half,” he stated.
And he added: “I’ll be with the fans who applaud. I understand those who whistle. I’ve had days where I’ve thought about quitting, but then I thought ‘what the heck.’”
In contrast to the jeers received by Casillas, other legends of the modern era Xavi Hernandez and Steven Gerrard were given incredible send offs by Barcelona and Liverpool as the pair wind down their careers in the USA and Qatar respectively.
Casillas admitted he he’d like to be recognised like that one day. “I was a bit jealous [of Xavi and Gerrard] but not that much as I’m not moving. But I am happy for them, they deserve it.”
Frankly, you deserve some respect but it’s time for you to quit at the Real. Be humble and leave while people still remember what you did for the team.