Iker Casillas names three Real Madrid coaching inspirations but no mention of Mourinho

Legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas has named the three Real Madrid managers who would provide inspiration for any potential future coaching career of his own.

The goalkeeper left Madrid in the summer of 2015, following an acrimonious fallout with Madrid club president Florentino Perez, although a report in Marca this summer said talks were ongoing that he could return to the club in an advisory role.

Casillas was speaking at the Marca Sport Weekend in which he is reported as saying when asked which coaches he would base his own coaching on: “I think I would be more like Zidane, Del Bosque or Ancelotti, although my character on the field was a little different.”

However, there was – perhaps unsurprisingly – no mention of Jose Mourinho, who coached Casillas for three seasons between 2010 and 2013 but the two endured a difficult relationship.

Two years ago, the former Real Madrid goalkeeper told Spanish TV that he should have confronted Mourinho when he was boss of the club.

Mourinho subsequently hit back at Casillas over the comments about their relationship: “It is normal for someone to say this at the end of their career.”

In June, Casillas announced he was withdrawing from the Spanish FA presidential elections having been due to stand against the current incumbent Luis Rubiales.

In May last year, the goalkeeper fell ill during training with Porto and was rushed to hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for a heart attack, and whilst he subsequently recovered and returned to Porto’s first-team squad, he did not play this season and left the Portuguese champions this summer.

Casillas is one of the most decorated players in Spain’s history, playing over 700 games for Madrid before joining Porto in 2015.

He won three Champions Leagues with the capital giants, as well as two European Championships and a World Cup in his 167 caps for La Roja.

Tags Iker Casillas Jose Mourinho Zinedine Zidane
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