Iker: Del Bosque gave me confidence

Iker Casillas has thanked Spain Coach Vicente Del Bosque for his guidance and revealed his thoughts on Del Bosque’s Real Madrid departure.

AS reports that Casillas has written the forward to an authorized biography of Del Bosque that was published in Spain this week.

In it Casillas recalls Del Bosque’s time at Santiago Bernabeu, where the Coach was sacked despite a period of success.

“His departure from Real Madrid really affected me. It was as if some part of Madrid had gone too,” Casillas wrote.

“We had a great team and Vicente managed us well. You could say that with the players we had any Coach could have managed us.

“But in four years we won the Champions League twice, the League and the FIFA World Cup Championship.

“On the night [Del Bosque left] I was going to an event in Alicante when I heard he was leaving. We had a feeling something was going to happen.

“The celebrations for that League were the worst I can remember.”

Casillas also touched on the other side of Del Bosque – the one that left him feeling ‘in the depths of hell.’

“He helped me but he also made me aware of the reality of football and of life,” the goalkeeper went on.

“He gave me confidence and then showed me what it was like to be on the bench.

“I was angry because it’s hard for any player to be out the team.

“After going over it in my head I started to understand.

“And when I was given an opportunity he showed he still had faith in me by bringing me on in the Champions League final in Glasgow.”

Casillas concluded by summing up what he has learned from working with Del Bosque for so many years.

“He taught me how to deal with victories,” Spain’s captain continued.

“He put us in seventh heaven and made is feel like we were the centre of the earth on July 12, 2010.

“He has been as calm during the tough times as he has in the moments of glory.

“He has helped the players and the fans.

“Respect and a natural approach is how he behaves day-to-day.”

Tags Iker Casillas Spain Vicente Del Bosque
La Liga - Club News