An infarction last May left his long career hanging by a thread. And almost two months later, after Iker Casillas joined Porto's preseason, information from the newspaper A Bola is making waves throughout Europe: the goalkeeper will retire from football.
Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas would have decided to retire and accept Porto's proposal to work in the club's structure from this new season, the Portuguese newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Casillas, who according to the newspaper has always received a formal offer from the club's president, Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, will publicly announce his decision this month of July.
The information, which makes the front page of A Bola, already has a great impact in all Portuguese media, where speculation about the future of the Spanish goalkeeper has been going on since he suffered a heart attack on May 1st.
The goalkeeper will stay close to the team, "serving as inspiration, giving advice and sharing his accumulated knowledge and experience," highlights A Bola.
Cover of A Bola
Casillas' presence was the biggest surprise of Porto's return to training this Monday at Olival sports city, where he showed his support to his still teammates, exactly two months after suffering a heart attack during a training session which required catheterization.
From the beginning, Porto's medical team warned that the return of the former Real Madrid goalkeeper to professional football would depend on the recovery process, the reaction to medication, and the player's own will.
In these two months, there have been many speculations about his future, so the 38-year-old goalkeeper asked for calm in May on his Twitter account: "Retire, there will be a day when I have to retire. Let me announce the news when that moment comes. For now, calmness," he said.
If the news is confirmed, Casillas, who had just renewed his contract with the Portuguese club this year, would end his football career four years after arriving in Portugal.
Source. EFE