Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek has said if he were in Carlo Ancelotti’s position, there would be no debate over who should start in goal – it would be Iker Casillas.
The 41-year-old former Poland shot stopper, who retired in 2011, said in an interview with AS that despite a dip in form, Casillas is still a world class keeper and should be starting every game for Los Blancos.
The 10-time European Cup champions sold Diego Lopez to AC Milan earlier this month but signed Costa Rica international Keylor Navas to challenge Casillas for the number one spot at the club. Casillas was controversially dropped by former boss Jose Mourinho and failed to win his place back in Ancelotti’s first season at the Santiago Bernabeu, having to make do playing in the Copa del Rey and Champions League.
But Dudek said the Spain captain should be the Real number one now that Lopez has gone.
“Iker is fine, very happy. The World Cup wasn’t the best for him or Spain, but that’s now in the past. If you look at the game he just played against Sevilla, you can see he’s back to his best and he saved Madrid on a couple of occasions with some fine stops,” Dudek said.
And his continued: “It’s not an easy decision to make, but if I was the coach I’d start with Iker. All he needed was a break and to get some rest, but he’s back to his best again now.”
