..:: Interviews ::..

[ike_rasha]

Casillas Rebuffs Best In The World Tag

Iker Casillas has dismissed the euphoria surrounding his form this season that incresaed at the weekend after his match-winning performance against Real zaragoza.

The modest goalkeeper was uncomfortable with all the adulation that he has been receiving and sought to take the spotlight off himself in an interview with Radio Marca.

After being labelled 'Sant Iker' by the Spanish press, Casillas explained that he was only doing his job and that he was not going to be sucked into believing the hype.

"I am not saint anything," he said. "I am just Iker Casillas.

"All I am doing is my job. Strikers can play games without scoring and not worry, but at the back we are obliged to play well every week.

"It is not my aim to be the best in the world. It's all subjective. Last season Andrés Palop should have won three of four awards for his performances, but he was given nothing.

"He should have been recognised as the best goalkeeper of the season and not (Gianluigi) Buffon, who was playing in the second division."

"That's why I find it a little ridiculous all this talk about being the best in the world and in the best eleven."

Milan have been linked with a bank-breaking move for Casillas, but he has no intention of leaving Madrid and accepts that rumours are part and parcel of life at the club.

"My dream has always been to stay with Real Madrid," he explained. "I read all the rumours about me going here and there.

"There's always rumours involving Real Madrid, but luckily that's all they are. I have three years on my contract and I am happy."

Lucas Brown, Goal.com

[ike_rasha]

Casillas: We Have Not Won Anything Yet

Iker Casillas warned Real Madrid's players that they must not begin to think that they have the league title in the bag after moving nine points clear at the top on Sunday.

The Spanish international goalkeeper was delighted to increase the gap between Los Merengues and Barcelona but does not want people to become carried away.

Madrid overcame Villarreal thanks to a brace from Robinho and a winning strike from Wesley Sneijder in the Bernabéu and Casillas wants more of the same.

"We have to keep playing like this as we are winning," he said. "We're in good form and we cannot think that we're already champions.

"Now, we have to keep battling away in every match because we cannot let our rivals catch up to us with such a substantial lead.

"It was complicated. We played well in the first half, but their first goal cooled us off. We wanted to answer from that moment on and in the second half we had plenty of chances to win.

"We capitalized on them and took this well-deserved win."

Casillas' long run without conceding a goal ended when Giuseppe Rossi scored the Villarreal's first goal, but the keeper was only concerned about the win.

"The record for not conceding a goal didn't create any pressure," he continued.

"Not allowing any goals for so long makes me very proud, but what's best for this team is winning and then taking the title."

Finally, Casillas praised his former understudy Diego López, who had an impressive evening in Villarreal's goal.

"Diego López was great," he added. "He had several really good saves, but we are just happy to have won and to have a larger lead over our rivals."

Lucas Brown, Goal.com

[rodie_iker]

Casillas Defends Coach As Raúl Row Continues

Iker Casillas has reiterated that he supports Luis Aragonés decision over whether Raúl González is in the Spain squad and point out that there are a lot of players not in the squad that could be.

The Real Madrid keeper was reacting to continuing pressure from the likes of AS and Marca in support of Raúl's return to the national team and believes that the coach knows best.

Spain are preparing to face France in a high profile friendly on Wednesday having qualified for Euro 2008 last year, but still the focus is being taken away from the game.

"Personally, I have made my feelings known on several occasions. Raúl is my teammate and it would be great if he was in the squad, but the coach has to choose," Casillas said.

"There are plenty of other players that have a chance that are not going as well.

"I have to accept the decisions that are made and respect the coach."

There has all been speculation about Aragonés own future as the trainer feels that there is a conspiracy out to pressure him into standing down before the championships start in the summer.

"All the players here are with the coach," Casillas continued.

"We have been behind him when things have been good and when things have been bad and he has been the same with us and has always supported the squad."

Finally, Casillas looked ahead to Group C in Euro 2008 which has seen three of the tournament favourites placed in the same pot, but the keeper believes that there could be a shock.

"It is a very difficult group with France, Italy and Holland in and you cannot rule out Romania causing a surprise," he suggested.

"There are always teams that nobody thinks of, but in a game anything can happen."

Lucas Brown, Goal.com

[rodie_iker]

Casillas Rues 'Childish Mistake'Known and respected for telling it like it is, Iker Casillas had no qualms accepting that Real Madrid could only blame their defeat on their childish mistake.

Real Madrid were off form against Getafe at the Bernabeu, but could probably still have escaped with at least a draw had it not been for a moment of horror.

They continued to celebrate a goal that had been disallowed, failing to get back onto the pitch, and Getafe made the most of that by launching a swift counter-attack and scoring.

Try as they did, Real Madrid could not work their way back into it, which means they are now just two points ahead of Barcelona.

"We are annoyed by the defeat," said Casillas after the game. "But we always knew that the league was not going to be won in Fabruary or March.

"We have dropped a lot of points, and what we must do now is work to get back to the way we were, and start winning regularly again."

About the goal itself, he said: "We committed a childish error for Getafe's goal. This should serve as a lesson for us in future games.

"We must remember to look at the referee at such moments, before celebrating. The Azulones [Getafe] were very effective, and that decided the game."

Real Madrid visit Recreativo next weekend, before hosting Roma in the Champions League.

Miguel Velasco

[rodie_iker]

Casillas Eyes Euro Glory
Iker Casillas may have won several major honours at club level, but he has set his sights on achieving glory at international level starting with the European Championships this summer.

The Real Madrid goalkeeper looked ahead to the tournament this summer and hopes that Spain can finally live up to their billing as one of the favourites.

Spain needed a late string of results to qualify, but will still be installed as one of the teams to beat in Austria and Switzerland.

"I hope we win the European Championships," he told uefa.com. "I would be delighted to retire from football having won a title with the Spanish national team. It doesn't matter for me if that's a World Cup or a European Championship.

"A European Championship is maybe a little more difficult to win because there are so many good teams in Europe."

Casillas rejects the theory that Spain will be helped by their achievement of reaching the finals after looking likely to miss out at one stage.

"It's always the same. Two years ago we had to beat Slovakia in a play-off to qualify for the World Cup. A lot of people said that would help us and in fact it was totally the opposite," he continues.

"When you get to the final phase of a championship anything can happen. You have to have a lot of luck, be physically prepared and make sure all the players are mentally prepared to give everything."

"We have to try and win our first match against Russia because that would help us relax a little. If we win that we can approach the subsequent games in a slightly different way."

Ian Dixon, Goal.com

[rodie_iker]

Casillas: It Would Be Nice To Win Two-Straight Titles

Iker Casillas spoke about the possibility of Real Madrid winning two straight titles, and revisted the rederee's decisions against Real Mallorca.


"Ever since I have been at Real Madrid, we haven't been able to win the league twice in a row, so it would be a nice achievement," he said. "But it will surely be difficult.

"We have a very difficult schedule. For me, it is more difficult than the other teams who are fighting for the league, because other than Levante, we will be up against very competitive teams."

Casillas also believes that the point they picked up in Mallorca on Saturday was "very significant," and admitted that Fabio Cannavaro should probably have a penalty awarded against him.

However, he insisted yet again that Sergio Ramos should not have been sent off by Dauden Ibanez.

"I thought he would have awarded [them] a penalty for hand ball," said the straight-talking goalkeeper.

"After that Dauden was nervous, because the fans screamed a lot. Ramos shouldn't have been handed a second yellow card, but all the pressure worked."

Nonetheless, Real Madrid are seven clear at the top of the table, and will win the title if they win five of the remaining games.

[rodie_iker]

Casillas Aims To Help Atlético

Iker Casillas is determined for Real Madrid to beat Racing this weekend in order to help Atlético Madrid's Champions League bid. But why?

The goalkeeper revealed that he felt a city duty to Atleti, as well as a desire to repay them for their previous good deeds.

He told RealMadrid.com, "They’ve also done us some favours by defeating Barcelona in the past (laughs)... It would make me happy to help them by winning because they are also from Madrid. Atletico and their fans deserve to be in the Champions League.

"[But Racing] are having a great season and they would like to finish it off by qualifying for the Champions League. They are playing at a great level and they will face us at their stadium. They will want to defeat the leaders."

"It will be difficult, but I think it will be the most exciting game of the weekend," he added, with the Barcelona derby apparently not rating top.

Not Over Yet

Although Madrid are ten points away from a title win with six games remaining, the Spanish international remains cautious.

"The League is far from being over," he warned.

"Our calendar is complicated because we will face teams that have much at stake both at the top end and bottom of the table. We have to keep on fighting and take important points in order to win the title.

"People may criticise us, but it is obvious to all that winning the title twice in a row is very difficult.

"We’ve been leaders since the start of the season and we now have a large lead over the rest because we’ve played good games. We’ve been the most regular side in the competition, so we deserve the title.

"The Zamora trophy? Yes, [I'm excited], but I prefer collective triumphs. Winning the League is what I’m most excited about right now.

[ike_rasha]

Casillas: It Was A Strange Day

Iker Casillas thinks that the delayed kick off times at weekends in the Spanish top flight spoilt Real Madrid's weekend and took away most of the drama on Sunday evening.

Los Merengues knew before kick off that they could not win the title after Villarreal's victory at Real Betis and he was not happy that thrill had been removed.

Madrid can win the league next weekend, but could be proclaimed as champions before they even kick a ball in Pamplona, which Casillas thinks would not be the best.

"I think all the games should kick off at the same time to avoid situations like that. It was a strange day," he said.

"Two hours before kick off we were able to watch and find out if we could be champions was odd and even next week we can be champions before playing in El Sadar.

"I think we really should all start at the same time. It would make things less dull."

Madrid had prepared the celebration party in the stadium and at La Cibeles, but that all had to be cancelled and Casillas was disappointed that his side were unable to wrap things up this weekend.

"It is a shame because it would have been good to win the title at the Bernabéu. Now we will have to continue playing this in Pamplona. We have be pleased, but also cautious, because we still have to obtain points," he continued.

"I really would have preferred to be champions now and to be able enjoy it because we deserve that after a consistent season."

Casillas won universal praise for an inspired performance against Athletic and took another step closer to winning the the Zamora Trophy as the league's best keeper this term.

"Provided I keep a clean sheet I am happy and especially after games like this. The Zamora is great, but it is a secondary consideration because prefer team prizes," he concluded.

Lucas Brown, Goal.com

[ike_rasha]

"Setting foot in this stadium is very special"
Realmadrid.com


Iker Casillas:
"Setting foot in this stadium is very special. Being able to play here is a dream I had ever since I was a kid; playing on a pitch that has hosted such great footballers. That dream has become reality, and now I play on a pitch that takes centre stage every weekend."

"My best memory is every time I came as a kid, but I will never forget what it was like setting foot on the turf for the first time. I had won the European Premier Nike Cup with the youth team and we had to make an appearance. It felt amazing, and it's when I said that I would someday be back."

[ike_rasha]

Casillas: I'd Rather Beat Barcelona Than Win The Zamora
Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has stated that he'd rather win the Clásico in a fortnight's time than lift the Zamora trophy at the end of the season...

Casillas has in the psat stated his desire to win the Zamora award for top Liga goalkeeper, but in the moment he's more concerned at getting one over on Real Madrid's great rivals.

He told Realmadrid.com that, if forced to pick between the award and a Clásico victory, he'd take the match win.

"A Clasico is always something beautiful. The best thing that can happen is to defeat Barcelona at the Bernabéu," he said.

However, he added, "The Zamora Trophy is a great award that really goes out to the entire team."

Pamplona Comes First

However, before the match with Barça is a trip to Pamplona to meet Osasuna, a match in which Real Madrid could scoop the title. They may even do so before kick-off if Villarreal slip up.

"The important thing is to win it, no matter how," added Casillas.

"There is a chance we may win before the game takes place, but it is always more exciting to win on the pitch.

"Do I want to get it over with? I do. The sooner the better. It seems we will win the title on Sunday, but we have to be patient and wait.

"We are only thinking about winning the game. We would have all liked to win last week at home, but it is natural for Villarreal to still do everything they can to catch us.

"Osasuna fans? It is an unusual stadium because the crowd is very close to us. They support their team very strongly, but we've hardly had any incidents there except for when someone threw a lighter at me a few years ago. There's crazy people everywhere; you can't generalise.

"There is much at stake for many teams at this stage. Osasuna are in a complicated situation because they face relegation, but we are going to think about ourselves, not about our rivals or the referee. We will fight to win."

Team Concerns

Casillas was asked for his thoughts on the Argentine contingent at the Bernabéu this season.

"They've been excellent," he enthused.

"Gago and Higuaín are very young and they've proven their quality. They have adapted to Spanish football and had a great season.

"Heinze has a strong character and a lot of experience; a player like that is important on the squad. Saviola knows our league perfectly well.

"In what way is the team different this year? We've suffred less this year and we've been more regular, with less bad performances. Last year we were forced to win something, but not this year. It would be beautiful to win the league after having been leaders throughout the season."

He also looked at Oliver Kahn, a top-class goalkeeper who yesterday retired from continental competition after Bayern's elimination from the UEFA Cup by Zenit.

"That will happen to all of us one day," noted the Spanish international.

"Kahn has marked an era, becoming the most important player of his team and thrilling all of us with his impressive saves. He is one of the greatest ever keepers, but his time has come and we youngsters should thank him for everything he's taught us. I wish him all the best."

[ike_rasha]

Casillas Still Reflects On Euros

Ikas Casillas has admitted that he becomes very emotional when he watched the replays of the European Championships on television ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.

Spain are focussed on reaching South Africa in 2010, their goalkeeper has revealed that he still has to look back to the summer to remember some of the things that happened.

The Spanish celebrated after their victory in the stadium and hotel, but Casillas explained that they understand the magnitude of the achievement until returning home.

"I have the videos at home and it does effect me when I watch the penalty shoot-out against Italy, the semi final against Russia and then when we lifted the cup," he told Radio Marca.

"Until we returned to Spain we were not really conscious of what we had achieved."

Under Del Bosque at Real Madrid, Casillas was given his first team debut but then dropped too although he now holds no grudges against the trainer.

"That was not a good time for me, but I cannot say anything negative about Vicente because I started to play under him and he has been the coach that helped me the most," he added.

Lucas Brown, Goal.com