Iker Casillas


Casillas
Full Name: Iker Casillas Fernández
Date of Birth:20-May-1981
Place of Birth:Madrid;, Spain
Height:6 ft 1 in(1.85 m)

Club Information
Current Club:Real Madrid
Number:1
Senior Clubs
Years:Club App (Gls)
1998-1999:Real Madrid C 026 (0)
1994-1998:Cruzeiro 120 (0)
1999:Real Madrid B 004 (0)
1999-:Real Madrid 265 (0)
National Team
2000-:Spain 073 (0)

Iker Casillas Fernández (born May 20, 1981 in Móstoles, Madrid) is a Spanish football goalkeeper. He is currently the first choice goalkeeper for Real Madrid and the Spanish national team. He is the captain of the Spanish national team, as well as one of the vice-captains of Real Madrid.
Real Madrid Casillas was a product of Real's youth system and his reflexes and agility have made him into one of the most important players at the club. Iker started in the junior team in Madrid during the 1990/91 season. His impressive performances were rewarded when he received a call up to the main team in the 98/99 season. From the 1999/2000 season onwards he formed part of the Real first team, in which he took his place like a veteran. Iker has consistently performed to incredibly high standards, which has led to his becoming one of the most important members of the team. Although at times, Real Madrid have struggled to find form and consistency during past seasons, Iker has become one of the top goalkeepers in the football market due to his strong leadership skills and vast amounts of natural ability that he regularly displays at the Bernabeu stadium.

After being a regular part of the starting eleven for a long time after his debut with the first team, Casillas lost his spot after a drop in his form in favour of his then teammate Cesar Sanchez until an injury in the last minutes of the 2002 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen forced Sanchez to leave the pitch and be replaced by a young Casillas who managed to win back his spot with a series of great saves that ensured his team the Champions League title.

He is the team's third captain and a favorite with the fans. Nicknamed "the Bernabeu's spoiled child", his love and dedication to the team are one of his his greatest assets. One of the best examples of his affection toward the club was in the 2006-2007 season. Iker literally broke into tears when Real Madrid secured the Primera División title, after 3 years without any type of silverware, the club's longest drought in over 50 years. National team

Casillas was a member of the Spanish teams which won the UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup and FIFA World Youth Championship in 1999. Following his full international debut against Sweden, Casillas was an unused substitute at Euro 2000. 2002 World Cup
He was selected to the Spanish National Team and ended up being the first choice goalkeeper at the 2002 FIFA World Cup held in South Korea and Japan later that year. Because of his performance, Casillas enjoyed hero status after Spain knocked out the Republic of Ireland in a penalty shoot-out to advance to the quarter-finals. After the FIFA World Cup and his performances against the Republic of Ireland and South Korea, he emerged as the first choice keeper for the national team.

Euro 2004 Casillas played in all eight Group 6 fixtures during Euro 2004 qualifying, conceding just four goals. He then kept goal in both legs of the play-off victory against Norway, keeping a clean sheet in Oslo. He then played as his country's goalkeeper at the Euro 2004 finals.

2006 World Cup Casillas was his country's first-choice goalkeeper during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Spain was beaten by France 3-1 which marked the end of the 2006 campaign. During the tournament, he captained Spain twice

Honors and awards Domestic
Continental FIFA World Youth Championship : 1999