One person who will be happy to see Jose Mourinho leave Real Madrid at the end of the season is Iker Casillas, who has been relegated to the substitutes bench this year. Despite being fully fit, there is a good chance that Casillas will not play again for Real this season.
In recent days both Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque and Barcelona star Xavi Hernández have publicly supported Casillas.
“We know he is a legend in Spanish football, nobody has done what he has, but suddenly he is in an uncomfortable situation,” Del Bosque said before making it clear that whether he plays or not for his club “is a decision for the coaches and the club”. “I won’t say a word on the matter, you won’t even get a smile from me on it,” he insisted.
“It’s not a trivial matter because you have to respect the club and his coach and I don’t want to cause problems with anybody”, Del Bosque added before saying: “I don’t think they would have questioned (Peter) Shilton in England in the same situation or other players who have been legends in their national teams”.
“The important thing is he is back from injury, that he is training and we have enough time ahead of us to make decisions (before the Confederations Cup). What I must say is he is our player, he is one of the best to have played for us in over 140 matches and we’re very fond of him so the most logical thing is to have him with us,” he said.
“We have to look after players who have given everything to the national team, without that meaning that we are going against anybody” he made clear.
In an interview with Barcelona Televisió Xavi said this about Iker:
“I think what has happened to him is unfair. Seeing him on the bench leaves a bad taste in my mouth. He doesn’t deserve to be treated like this. Can I see him joining Barça? Iker won’t come to Barça. He is too much of a Madrid fan, I can’t see him leaving. I would welcome him, but I honestly don’t see it happening.