Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas has finally revealed the full details of his fall-out with Jose Mourinho which saw the Spanish international benched.
Mourinho was Real Madrid boss before leaving for Chelsea at the start of last season.
During his time in charge of Los Blancos, Mourinho divided opinion for a number of decisions, not least his choice to drop Casillas in favour of the less experienced Diego Lopez.
Casillas eventually worked his way back in for Champions League games, but Lopez remained first choice for La Liga fixtures. Mourinho said at the time “Casillas? I have no problem with him. I like Diego Lopez more. While I’m Real Madrid coach, Lopez will always play.”
Speaking about the situation, Casillas revealed his love for the club was behind his decision to stay quiet. “I decided to zip it for the good of the club. Maybe I should have answered Mourinho. I didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. Strangely, after those press conferences we didn’t speak.”
The Spanish stopper then went on to reveal that it was after this that the relationship deteriorated past the point of no return. “I would come in every day when I was injured and as soon as I recovered, Karanka (Mourinho’s assistant) said that I was unfit for competition and that’s when I felt they had a problem with me.”
Despite their problems, Casillas refused to criticise Mourinho for his time at Real Madrid, claiming the Portugese maverick was good for the club. “It was emphasised more than it should have been but Jose Mourinho’s time here was good for us. That’s what I think and I’ll always think that. We were equal with Barca for a while and for the first season things were good, although maybe not so good in the last, but I have the greatest respect for all my coaches.”
“When something happens you should not discuss it and should respect your boss.”
By Andrew Bell (@AndrewBizzle009)
