Iker Casillas Fernández is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Popularly dubbed “San Iker” (“Saint Iker”) for his ability to produce spectacular saves, Casillas is widely considered to be one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time.
With 167 international caps, Casillas has the second most appearances for the Spain national team, making him the joint tenth-most capped footballer of all time.
Casillas became the nation’s first-choice goalkeeper at the 2002 World Cup and went on to play at UEFA Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup. In 2008, he was made captain and went on to lead the team to the European Championship title that year.
Is Casillas the best goalkeeper ever?
Casillas is definitely among the greatest goalkeepers of all time. You name it and Iker Casillas has won it. Not only he was a brilliant goalkeeper but also an excellent leader.
Casillas holds the record for third-most clean sheets in La Liga history (177), the cleanest sheets in the Champions League (59), and the record number of international clean sheets (77).
He is known for his athleticism, quick reactions and outstanding shot-stopping ability.
Having spent the majority of his career at Real Madrid, Casillas is one of the few players to achieve over 1000 professional career matches and holds the record for the cleanest sheets in the UEFA Champions League, as well as for the Spain national team.