Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon have become household names for Real Madrid and Juventus. Their resume states that both of these shot-stoppers are true legends for their teams and countries, but as they get older, some of their abilities may have been lost. Which of these two wonderful goalkeepers arrives to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in better shape?
Both of them have raised goalkeeping standards to the max, with Casillas lifting three Champions League trophies during his illustrious career. On the other hand, Buffon has never won the coveted European tournament, and after being on the losing side back in 2003, he will surely want to raise perhaps the only major club trophy he is yet to win. Let's take a closer look at their stats to determine which one will be more decisive in this two-leg series.
Gianluigi Buffon
During the 2014-2015 season, Buffon has played every single match for his side, conceding the fewest goals in all the tournament. At 37, some of his skills may have diminished, but he maintains his reputation as one of the best shot-stoppers in the world. So far, he has conceded five goals in the tournament, earning three clean sheets in the knockout stages and allowing only one during the knockout stages. Buffon is yet to concede more than two goals in a single game this year, and his contribution to his team's defensive skills has proven to be key to La Vecchia Signora's success this season. In fact, considering all tournaments, Buffon has kept a clean sheet in 24 games out of 47 he has played.
If Real Madrid want to progress, Buffon will surely be really tough to beat for Los Blancos' powerful offense.
Iker Casillas
It's true that ever since Jose Mourinho's term as Real Madrid coach, Casillas' legacy with Los Blancos has been under review. Following his disappointing display during Brazil 2014, Iker Casillas was given the chance to redeem himself as Ancelotti's top keeper. The player from Mostoles has usually come through, but some of his games have given the Italian coach enough reason to doubt.
So far this year, Casillas has shown consistent form in his 47 appearances guarding Real Madrid's net, but he still has two games on his mind he will try to forget quickly. The first one is the match against Atletico Madrid on February 7th, when his defense was pummeled with a 4-0 score. Casillas had all fingers pointing at him, since most experts believed he could have done more to stop some of his opponents' shots. The next nightmare for the Mostoles native came on March 10, when Los Blancos faced Schalke 04. With a series that needed some sort of miracle to have Real Madrid eliminated, Casillas had a disappointing performance, conceding four goals against the German side, which almost got his team out of the tournament.
So far, Iker has kept 21 clean sheets this season, but he has not been as trustworthy as he used to be while playing do-or-die games. When facing hard-hitting footballers like Carlos Tevez and Andrea Pirlo, Casillas' skills will be tested once again, and his performance may even be the key to continue his stint as Los Blancos' goalkeeper for the next few years. Fans at the Bernabeu Stadium have been continuously annoyed by his shaky displays, and this two-legged series could either raise his legendary status, or eventually mean his ultimate downfall with his beloved club.
Casillas will have one more chance to redeem himself against one of the toughest sides in European football.
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