Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Francisco ‘Paco’ Buyo has backed his fellow custodian to win back the support of the Los Blancos fans.
The club captain was target of abuse and jeering from some fans at the weekend as he was blamed for the two goals conceded in the draw with Valencia that saw Real’s title hopes come to an end.
Fed up with the boo boys, Casillas made a gesture towards them that was caught by the television cameras.
Speaking to Goal.com, Buyo, who won six titles in 11 seasons with Madrid, said many great players including the likes of Zinedine ZIdane and Michel have been booed by the fans. He added it’s up to Casillas to win them over again.
“The Santiago Bernabeu is a demanding stadium and the public demands a lot, but they are great supporters. They are loyal and in the great moments they support the great players. They have sometimes whistled fantastic players. Iker is one of the symbols of Real Madrid and when the fans whistle him, it’s up to Casillas to reverse the situation and improve,” he stated.
He added: “The fans show their dissatisfaction by booing. Fortunately, it never happened to me. But it happened to Zinedine Zidane, Míchel, Bernd Schuster and Martin Vazquez – they were all great players and Real Madrid icons but they won the fans back. You need to work hard and show again that you’re number one.”
