Is it time for Iker Casillas to bid farewell to his beloved club?

Iker Casillas, the world renowned shot stopper of Spain, is one of the most decorated players in football. Having risen through the youth ranks of Real Madrid, he has kept goal for them for over a decade, winning all possible club honors including the prestigious Champions League title in that time. Even for his country Spain, he has been a pivotal part of the team and has two European Championships, a Confederations Cup and a World Cup to his name, to add to his long list of personal honors.

But over the past couple of years, this star has dimmed slightly, as his importance to his club has decreased. From the high point of winning the Euro 2012 with Spain, his career has been in a downward spiral. First, a series of arguments with then manager Jose Mourinho saw him sidelined, then he suffered a hand injury that kept him out for three months. During this time, Mourinho signed Diego Lopez from Sevilla, and the Real Madrid skipper found himself relegated to the bench at his home club. This effectively deprived him of a large chunk of playing time for the season.

Also perhaps as a direct result of this, the form of Casillas slumped; he was unconvincing in his few appearances, lacking his usual awareness and self confidence, and this only gave Jose Mourinho further reasons to pick Diego Lopez every game. Casillas must have seen the departure of Mourinho to Chelsea as a godsend and a chance at a fresh start, but the damage had already been done, even new manager Carlo Ancelotti seemed to prefer Lopez in the league. In just a couple of years, the Real Madrid captain found himself relegated to a supporting role.

But Casillas is nothing if not a professional, and he continued with barely a complaint, playing with full dedication whenever he got a chance. But the good form of Diego Lopez and the success of Real Madrid as a whole, even without him, has made his road to a comeback that much more difficult.

But perhaps the death knell hadn’t sounded until this years’ World Cup in Brazil. Defending champions and one of the favorites Spain crashed and burned; they were knocked out of the group stages after just two games, both of which ended in humiliating defeats. After a 5-1 demolition against the Netherlands, in which captain Casillas was responsible for a couple of goals, the 2-0 loss to Chile truly exposed the frailties of the Spanish defense and especially Casillas, as he was directly responsible for the second goal.

Carlo Ancelotti has already shown a preference for the younger and fitter Diego Lopez, and it is easy to say that Casillas has not done himself any favors with his performance in Brazil. It looks highly unlikely heading into the new season that Casillas will feature in a prominent role for the reigning European Champions, and with the strict Financial Fair Play rules in effect, we may even see the club themselves moving to offload the player. This would not be a first for them, since they did the same to club legend Raul just a few years ago.

The only question therefore to be considered is whether Casillas will stay on, and accept being relegated to a more and more minor role in the club’s plans, until he is finally let go, or should he seize the initiative and request a move, while he would still fetch a decent salary and have a few years left in him. He is not getting any younger, and the sooner a move materializes, the better.

It seems unlikely that Casillas would do so, since he has always proved himself to be dedicated to the club, and Real is one of the best clubs in world football; but considering that the club has replaced perhaps their finest ever shot stopper over the course of a single season for a seemingly minor reason, maybe it is time for the legend to think of himself. Though a move away from the Santiago Bernebau seems the best decision for someone as hungry for games and with as much talent as Iker Casillas, and this is the best time for him to do so; I find it difficult to imagine him doing this, and fully expect to see him at Real the next season, competing tooth and nail with Diego Lopez for the goalkeeper spot.