Iker Casillas has said he wants to remain at Real Madrid and play on until he’s 40, although the goalkeeper concedes he will leave at some point.
Casillas was speaking to Spanish radio station Melody FM and his comments have been published by Marca.
The interview touched on Casillas’ past, present and future, with Casillas revealing he feels luck has played a big part in his career.
“I think luck is a bit of the story we like to hide. Remember, I made by debut against Athletic Bilbao and things did not go quite right, so I went back to the B team.
“Then Bodo Illgner got injured and I came back.
“There are moments like in the World Cup in Korea and Japan that you think can never happen but they do happen.
“I would never want anything to happen to a teammate but I jumped at the opportunity.
“You try to fight and struggle and you aspire to want more. I am very ambitious and I always want to play, but with respect for my teammates.”
Casillas is currently second choice at Santiago Bernabeu behind Diego Lopez but he doesn’t see his short-term future away from Madrid.
“I can play up to 40,” he predicted.
“If a goalkeeper is careful they can get to that age now, if you take care.
“I wish I could play at Madrid until I’m 40, but there will be a moment where it isn’t possible.
“When I finish my contract it’ll raise the question of whether I stay at Madrid.
“I want to keep winning titles. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to win trophies and then go and enjoy it with the fans.
“Often I think about what I’ll do when I retire. I would like to remain connected to the world of football, to my club if they need my help.”
Despite playing only sporadically at club level Casillas has been named in the Spain squad for the friendly against Italy on Wednesday, and he thanked Vicente Del Bosque for persisting with him.
“Hopefully I play against Italy,” Casillas said.
“Being in the national team is very important to me and I am grateful for the confidence of the Coach.”
