Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek has said he would favour Iker Casillas over Keylor Navas if he was Madrid Coach.
Dudek was involved in the Madrid vs. Fiorentina friendly played on Saturday in Warsaw, acting as a special ambassador as his old club visited his homeland.
Asked by AS what he made of the tie, Dudek praised Madrid despite a 2-1 defeat to the Serie A side.
“Madrid looked very good. The result wasn’t good but that was not important,” Dudek said.
“Madrid were spectacular, especially Cristiano Ronaldo, who played and scored a great goal.
“Madrid, for a long time, had a weak point in defence because the team was so offensive-minded. Speaking with Iker and people, they agreed the club always bought good defensive players. Even the defence wants to join the attack.
“That mentality is very difficult to improve because the mentality is to attack and win games.”
Dudek elaborated more on his conversation with Casillas, and when asked directly who he would pick in goal, confirmed it would be the skipper – if his first choice couldn’t come out of retirement, that is.
“I’d put myself in goal! It’s not an easy decision but if I was the Coach, I’d pick Iker,” he added.
“He is very good, very happy. The World Cup wasn’t good for him or for Spain but that’s the past.
“If you see the European Super cup against Sevilla you realise he is where he should be and he made several stops that prevented the game getting complicated.
“It’s hard to be 100% sure but I’m convinced Madrid has a great Casillas back, because he has the mentality and feels the colours in his heart.
“I think it’s very good to have two goalkeepers who can play. Keylor had a great World Cup and won a lot of confidence. That’s good for Madrid.”
