Spanish World Cup winner Casillas retires

Casillas had won the 2010 FIFA World Cup with Spain and lifted five La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies during his time at Real Madrid. Shotstopper Casillas called time on his career after earlier ending his five-year spell at Porto in July.

The former Real Madrid captain had moved to the Portuguese club after a farewell from Real Madrid. Casillas had suffered a heart attack during a training session last year and has not played any competitive football since April 2019. “Today is both one of the most important and most difficult days of my sporting life, the time to say goodbye has arrived,” he said on Twitter.

He played 167 times for the national team, winning the 2010 World Cup and the Euros in 2008 and 2012 in a golden age for Spanish football. “The best goalkeeper in the history of Real Madrid and Spanish football joined us at the age of nine. He was formed here and defended our shirt for 25 years, becoming one of our most emblematic captains of all time,” the club said in a statement.