REAL MADRID
Casillas: "One day I'll explain why I had to leave Madrid"
The keeper admitted that he always put Real Madrid before himself. "If I had looked out for myself more, it would have been a madhouse every day".
Iker Casillas told XL Semanal Sunday supplement that he will eventually divulge the reasons behind his departure from Real Madrid and how it turned out in the way he did. "At some point over the next 15 years I'll write a book and I'll explain why", the Porto and Spain keeper said.
Casillas quit Madrid last summer and says he felt he had little choice on the matter: "I had to decide whether I was going to stay and be the figure of ridicule that others enjoyed poking like a vooddo doll, or leave and be able to breathe again. I chose the second option to live more peacefully".
Iker added that he would often put Madrid before his own interests and kept a lid on his temper when things got tense. "If I had looked out for myself more, it would have been a madhouse every day, particularly in the last year", he explained.
As for the tension within the dressing room and his poor relationship with José Mourinho, Iker said "It was uncomfortable because within the team there was two people whose relationship was detriorating - it's something that happens all the time - it happens to a lot of couples. But that bad relationship made people take sides - it divided people. I only hope that, with time, those ghosts of the past will eventually disappear".
One thing that Iker is really enjoying is being a family man: "I'm like any other father. I change nappies, I'll feed the kids with a baby bottle... my son calls me 'Daddy Iker!' (papá Iker). I have to make the most of this because they tell me in 15 years is when it starts to get much more difficult! Until then, I'm enjoying being a dad".
The keeper who turns 35 later this month "I haven't got many grey hairs but if you look at the sides, a few have started popping up. My dad has quite a few grey hairs and I think I'm heading in the same direction. My father is from Ávila took us to Bilbao for his work, that's why my brother Unai and me both have Basque names".
Casillas revealed details of his secret wedding to Sara Carbonero: "We had a barbecue at home, with just a couple of friends and that was it really. There are photos but I don't think I'll show them to anyone - they're just for our memories. The idea was to keep it secret but somehow the cat got let out of the bag".
