Ex-Spain captain Iker Casillas believes his important stop in the finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup was purely coincidental. In an interview with Marca, the Spaniard reflects on the event he won twelve years ago.
After more than an hour of action in Johannesburg, the notorious ‘toe of Casillas’ denied Robben’s strike. The former keeper is questioned in one word to describe his rescue. “Good luck,” he says. “Yes, he might score nine times if we tried 10 more times. I’m certain of it. He struck my boot and the ball went wide on that particular day, in that circumstance, or perhaps because somebody wanted it that way.”
It was far from Casillas’ only crucial save of the competition. In the quarters against Paraguay, for instance, he saved a penalty kick by Luis Cardozo with the score 0-0; Spain went on to win the game 0-1. Casillas struggles to address the issue of which stop was more crucial in the end.
“Of course, the final is significant as it is the final game. But we didn’t play well enough against Paraguay. We didn’t understand the game correctly, and we appeared a little bewildered against a powerful opponent,” he reflects. “I’m not sure what would have happened if they had scored in the 60th minute.” We might have handed away the World Cup at that point.”
Casillas encourages Spain’s current goalkeepers’ guild, which includes Robert Sánchez, David Raya, and Unai Simón, to constantly ‘stay attentive, be involved, and be able to react to what is occurring’. “Unai appears to have an edge, but he must also emanate serenity and maturity to the rest.” Casillas clearly expects that Spain would reach the final once more. I’d want to see a final between Spain and France or between Spain and Brazil. I’ll be pleased if Spain advances to the semi-finals. The conclusion would have been even better.”
