Should Casillas Leave Madrid?

Not many expected to see Iker Casillas warming the bench in Real Madrid’s opening match of La Liga against Real Betis.  Last year he was made to sit out after Jose Mourinho went in favor of Diego Lopez as the first choice goalkeeper.  It created a storm in the Spanish media and the dressing room. A lot of players came out and spoke against Mourinho’s decision to leave out Casillas. The Spain number until then was considered an untouchable player for the Spanish White House.

However that was last season. Mourinho departed to Chelsea and in came Carlo Ancelotti. His decision to keep Casillas out in the opener against Real Betis overshadowed his first game incharge of the club. While Mourinho may have had personal reasons to leave Casillas out, the Italain does not have any. It raises some doubt of whether he is still capable of producing his best for Real Madrid.

So should Casillas move out of Madrid and look for playing time in some other club. The question becomes even more important considering the fact that the World Cup would be held next year and for Spain to continue their dominance, it becomes important that their current captain gets enough playing time. The decision to quit Madrid would be very difficult for him. He started his career at the club and has grown to be the club captain. His girlfriend, TV journalist Sara Carbonero, is pregnant with their first child which would make his decision to quit Madrid even more difficult. However leading Spain in the 2014 World Cup would be an opportunity that he wouldn’t like to miss out on. Already there is huge competition in the Spanish squad for the goalkeeper position from Victor Valdes, Pepe Reina and David de Gea, who play regularly for their clubs.

The Real Madrid captain should be looking to get more playing time under him. The more he plays the better it would be for his confidence. These sentiments were echoed by former Real Madrid manager Bernd Schuster who in an interview to Tiki Taka said "It was impossible to imagine Raul at another club, and it’s the same with Iker. But this year there is a World Cup and he cannot afford to spend a year sitting on the bench. He has to play"