Veteran shot stopper not looking to relieve himself of custodial duties just yet.
Iconic Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas has endured a tough few years for both club and country. After being dropped for Diego Lopez in 2013 he has had to watch in frustration as his club side compete in La Liga from the bench as well as seeing his national team spot come under pressure after some ropey performances at the World Cup.
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However, in an interview with The Guardian he has insisted that he is not ready to call time on his career with Real Madrid or Spain anytime soon, and will look to fight on for regular involvement with both.
“There’s always speculation here but after all the stories, the rumours, I’m still here,” he says. “There’s never been a chance for me to go anywhere else because I’ve never thought about it. All the presidents I’ve had have said: ‘The day you don’t want to be here, just come and tell me.’ And I’m still here. It started here and I want it to finish here.
“I’ll play for Spain until 2016 at least, for sure. After that, we’ll see,” he said.
“And [for Madrid] I think I can play until I’m 40. I feel fit and strong. A keeper who looks after himself can play to at least 38. [Belgium’s Michel] Preud’homme was as fast as lightning and played until he was 38 at Benfica. Cañizares played until he was 38, [Oliver] Khan 39. And Gigi [Buffon] is 37 [in January].
“I saw [Faryd] Mondragón recently. He played at 43. If your head and body are fine, you can do it. And if you’re happy, if you have got a target, you never have a reason to go anywhere else. I’m happy. We waited a decade for the 10th. Now we’re thinking about the 11th. And we’ve got the team for that, so why not?”
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