Following Televisión Española’s breaking news last Monday about Iker Casillas’ departure, the week has been filled with mixed announcements from the press. However, after a bitter and exhausting negotiation as told by the Spanish media, the captain will officially depart from Real Madrid and move to FC Porto.
While the details of the transfer haven’t been specified, the rumors see Madrid paying a bigger chunk of his salary. Some issues with the income tax difference between Spain and Portugal were threatening the agreement between the three parties. Nevertheless, everything was resolved and the keeper will speak to the public tomorrow in a press conference to be held at noon Madrid time.
At the time of writing, the club’s official website has published the announcement exclusively in the Spanish version. The press release covers a bit about Iker’s career at Real and values what he did, what he won and what he will be remembered as. There’s no mention of a possible farewell event, yet it seems the press conference might be the only scheduled appearance.
This probably isn’t the way everyone expected a living legend to say goodbye to his club of 25 years. Casillas will always be a huge part of football history, as he won every single title possible. Even so, his career has seen a dramatic turn in the last couple of years. To ignore that his performances have decreased in quality would be a stubborn thing to do. Acknowledging the positive and the negative is the way to go.
The truth is that there’s a significant amount of fans who have felt disconnected to the captain since the end of the Mourinho era. Neither the supporters nor the detractors are absolutely right, as this is all about individual perspective. Casillas was indeed a great keeper in his day, still his present form indicated a change wasn’t a terrible thing to be thinking about.
Overall, nobody can take away the titles he won nor erase any memories, whether good or bad. Without the main captain, the armband will see a new owner, and the net at the Bernabéu will be up for grabs as well, with De Gea, Navas and Casilla as potential replacements. It’s a time to be grateful for the good, forget the bad and be excited about the future. Thank you and good luck, Captain!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTMNqh_eGcU
