Casillas’s future with Madrid seems to be in doubt. With the World Cup just 7 months away, Casillas is supposedly contemplating leaving his beloved club in order. This past weekend saw Casillas observe El Clásico from the bench as his counterpart Victor Valdés put in another strong performance to perhaps gain the upper hand for the goal keeper position in Spain’s starting eleven.
Alexis’s splendid goal against Diego Lopez this past weekend had Cules celebrating with awe while at the same time, neutrals and perhaps Madridistas were wondering if Alexis would have scored that goal if Casillas was in goal. Nevertheless, that’s in the past now and the future lies ahead. However, will Casillas be part of Madrid’s future or will he pursue an exit from the only club he has ever played for in order to get more playing minutes?
As a Culé, I have no problem admitting that Casillas is one of the few players of the arch enemy that I admired. Sure, he had that momentary lapse where he drank from Mourinho’s own special blend of Kool-Aid, but he has always been a classy individual for the most part. That’s why I am puzzled by the way the club has been treating their captain and icon. If they are not pleased in his role with the fall out of Mourinho, then making his life miserable is only harming their club and their country.
Mundo Deportivo recently posted a story that some Barça players approached Casillas in the Camp Nou tunnel prior to kickoff and told him to join the Blaugrana. Obviously this was done in a lighthearted manner however it’s not that far-fetched that they perhaps some were also delivering a subtle recruiting pitch to the distraught keeper. His familiarity with the players throughout the years on international duty would make him the perfect choice to replace Valdés.
Nevertheless, Casillas will never join FC Barcelona. I cannot see him pulling the treacherous act of switching sides like Luis Enrique and Figo did. Luis Enrique came through the Gijon academy while Figo only was loyal to himself and never had a problem signing deals with other clubs. Casillas though is a Madridista, through and through. He came through the Castilla ranks since he was a child and has dedicated over 20 years with his club.
Unfortunately, those years of service seem not to mean much for the Real Madrid hierarchy who are satisfied by letting their icon appear sporadically in UEFA Champions League matches and upcoming Copa del Rey matches. Even his fellow Spanish teammate and another counterpart, Pepe Reina believes Casillas is getting a raw deal, if you believe the lip readers. Casillas though is handling this like a gentleman. Although his club has wronged him, the fans still love him and I believe Casillas cares too much to break their hearts and join the Blaugrana.
As much as it seems that it would be a good fit, it will never happen. Casillas needs to leave Madrid, even on loan if possible, to improve his chances of remaining Spain’s number one goalkeeper. I don’t see it happening if he plays second fiddle to Diego Lopez in the Spanish league while starting in limited number of matches in other competitions. Del Bosque will have a difficult decision to make when it comes to selecting his starting goalkeeper when Spain attempts to defend their World Cup trophy. Casillas nonetheless has to think about his short-term and long-term future with his club. Neither of which see him wearing Blaugrana colors.
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