Madrid – It would be logical to expect that a veteran captain who had led his team to three Champions League triumphs – and his country to the World Cup and two Euros – would be venerated, or at least respected, at his club.
After all, Barcelona veterans Xavi and Andres Iniesta are hallowed figures at the Camp Nou, cheered and applauded even when playing poorly – and never whistled or jeered no matter how many times they lose the ball.
In sad contrast, Iker Casillas has become a figure of loathing, even of ridicule, for many fans of Real Madrid.
Should Juventus, defending a 2-1 first leg lead, manage to score in the Champions League semi-final showdown at the Estadio Bernabeu, Casillas is bound to take the blame, whether guilty or not.
Every time that Los Merengues concede a goal at home, Casillas is booed by a sizeable minority of Madridista fans. Against Valencia, he was jeered every time he touched the ball Saturday, after conceding two early goals in the 2-2 draw.
Understandably, he finally lost his self-control and shouted some abuse back at the boo boys – then stormed off home without talking.
On the face of things, Casillas should really have almost God-like status in Madrid. After all, he showed a maturity far beyond his 19 years when helping Real to beat Valencia in the 2000 final – becoming the youngest ever keeper to win the coveted trophy.
And two years later, he came off the subs’ bench to replace the injured Cesar, and turned in a superlative display to keep Bayer Leverkusen at bay in the 2002 final.
At the same time as helping Real to the silverware, Casillas has guided Spain to glory at three major tournaments, becoming his
country’s highest capped player ever with 161 appearances.
So why is he being regularly booed by his own fans?
On the one hand, it is simply because his performances have dropped alarmingly in the past three years, since he reached 30.
Casillas, now 33, is not ‘ageing well’ at all.
He was largely to blame for Valencia’s first goal, and for Juventus’ first goal in the 2-1 first leg defeat – just as he was at fault in Atletico Madrid’s goal in last season’s final.
Another explanation for the jeers lies in Casillas’ feud with Jose Mourinho, the coach at Real from 2010 to 2013. Mourinho accused the goalkeeper of leaking secret dressing-room information to friends in the media.
Mourinho sensationally dropped Casillas in 2013, just before returning to Chelsea, and publicly regretted not having signed an alternative keeper three years earlier.
The Portuguese coach had a small but fanatical following among some Real ultras, and it is clearly this group that is leading the jeers nowadays.
Also, it is question of familiarity breeding contempt. Casillas has been first-choice keeper at Real since 2002, while in every other
position expensive signings have come and gone practically every season.
A particularly demanding section of the fans has taken upon itself over the years the task of pulling down to size illustrious veterans like Alfredo di Stefano, Emilio Butragueno and Luis Figo – though it is not clear whether their aim is to motivate them or demoralize them.
“Many of Real’s great players have been jeered over the years,” said Butragueno, nowadays the club’s head of public relations.
“This happened to Di Stefano towards the end of his time here, to Michel, to Guti – to me as well. It is not pleasant. It certainly
doesn’t help you to play better.
“All you can do is roll up your sleeves and try to prove them wrong, which is what Casillas should do now.”
Butragueno added that it is only “a small minority” of fans who jeer, but it sounded more like a large minority Saturday.
A crumb of comfort for Casillas is that he is not the only target of the boo boys.
Their second favourite target is Welsh striker Gareth Bale, who has struggled to justify his world record price-tag.
Sports daily Marca tried to persuade the boo boys to leave Casillas in peace against Juventus, saying. “The importance of
Wednesday’s match demands the union of all madridismo.”
Casilla’s role will be to prevent Juventus from scoring what could be a vital away goal.
Whether the jeers from the crowd will increase his motivation to do this, or instead make him nervous and unsure of himself, is one of the fascinating questions surrounding Wednesday’s showdown. – DPA-ANA