Time zone: US/Eastern | Register | Login
Search:

World Cup 2010: Iker Casillas or Victor Valdes? Who Should Be Spain’s No. 1 Goalkeeper?

Angela Asante, June 21 2010,
Iker Casillas has been Spain’s first choice goalkeeper for 8 years now. The Real Madrid shot stopper experienced a historical moment in his career when he captained La Furia Roja to European glory in 2008.

Barcelona's Victor Valdes vs Real Madrid and Spain's Iker Casillas.

Related Content:
FIFA World Cup
Related Articles: 2010 World Cup, Spain, Iker Casillas, Victor Valdes, Goalkeeper
He eventually received the backing of many to break the 126 record appearance mark set by the legendary Andoni Zubizarreta. However, the impressive and consistent form of Victor Valdes for his club Barcelona since the past two years has seduced fans of the Spanish national team.

Comparisons between Iker Casillas and Catalonia’s Valdes led to a heavy debate ahead of Vicente del Bosque’s World Cup squad selection. Should have Victor Valdes replaced Iker Casillas as Spain’s number one goalkeeper at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa? LiveSoccerTV.com looks at some aspect behind this question by taking you through some facts.

Iker Casillas vs Victor Valdes: El Clasico Statistics Put Valdes On Top

One may tell you that the best way to judge whom the best is between Casillas and Valdes is to have both players come up against each other on the same field for a duel. In that case, the name of the game is El Clasico, where Real Madrid and Barcelona clash up with the two goalkeepers featuring for their respective club football team.

 

Since the 2008/2009 La Liga season which followed Spain’s 2008 European Championship triumph, Los Blancos and the Catalans have met four times in El Clasico. Iker Casillas’ Madrid has lost all of those 4 encounters and figures have been extremely alarming and negative on an individual and collective point of view for the 29-year-old goalkeeper.

Last 4 El Clasico Results

13/12/08: Barcelona 2-0 Real Madrid
02/05/09: Real Madrid 2-6 Barcelona
29/11/09: Barcelona 1-0 Real Madrid
10/04/10: Real Madrid 0-2 BarcelonaReal Madrid's Iker Casillas gesturing in agony as he concedes yet again against Barcelona.

There is certainly no need to look at these results twice before declaring Barcelona’s Victor Valdes as the winner of the duel. Going further into details, statistics reveal a humiliating fact. Iker has let as much as 11 goals in approximately 360 minutes of El Clasico football since the past two years. That makes it an average of almost 3 goals conceded per El Clasico match and 1 goal allowed every 33 minutes! This poor record has led people to (perhaps) understandably doubt about Casillas’ reliability as a good goalkeeper.

On the opposite, Victor Valdes possesses an excellent record in El Clasico, which is considered as La Liga’s most important fixture. Valdes’ ability to keep 3 clean sheets in the past 4 clashes as well as the 2 vs 11 (goals allowed) record that he holds in the head-to-head against Iker Casillas are two major things that won over the favor of Spanish fans. For many, it seems very logical to conclude that the Barcelona shot stopper is Spain’s best and that he therefore deserves to take over Iker Casillas as La Furia Roja’s number one goalie in South Africa.

The Experienced Casillas Or The Glorious Valdes?

Experience has always been a major factor considered by many coaches in squad selections. Stability is also another aspect that successful clubs make sure to preserve. The 2010 World Cup is presenting the Spanish national football team with the opportunity to win their first ever World Cup trophy.

Now after disappointingly failing to clinch the 2009 Confederations Cup trophy, La Furia Roja are looking to learn from their mistakes and eventually make the best of impressions in South Africa this time. Already however, Spain lost to Switzerland by a single goal to nil. This video below will only help doubters to confirm their distrust in Iker Casillas as Spain’s number 1 goalie.

 

 

For Coach Vicente del Bosque, replacing Iker Casillas by Victor Valdes as Spain’s first choice keeper is not only an improbability but also a choice that might appear as a mistake if it were to be executed. Coach Vicente del Bosque believes that maintaining Casillas as Spain’s first choice goalie is vital for the issue of stability in the squad, although the inclusion of Valdes in the 2010 World Cup roaster is a possibility. In a statement around this subject, the boss said before the tournament:

"We have a stable workforce if we overcome injuries, which there's been a lot of lately. However, if we have to bring in someone new, then the good atmosphere will continue."

Spain's Iker Casillas celebrates on the podium with the 2008 European Championship trophy.In fact, Iker Casillas didn’t become Spain’s hero overnight. He developed his talent at the youth level for Spain before becoming a first choice keeper at the senior level. He caught people’s attention at the 2002 World Cup by making two saves in Spain’s Round of 16 penalty shoot-out against the Republic of Ireland. Casillas subsequently took part in the qualification and tournament stages of the Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup before enjoying the most historical and memorable moment of his career. Designated as the captain of La Furia Roja, Casillas led Spain to win their first major trophy in 44 years.

So why anyone would not want to believe that the experienced Iker Casillas will pursue his vital performances and inspire his team with his experience at the 2010 World Cup? Why do people want Victor Valdes – who has never put on the Spanish national team jersey – to be in goal then? Is there any coherence in the public’s reasoning?

In fact, the fate of the goalkeepers’ respective teams in club football has had a major impact on the choice of Spanish fans. Fact: Real Madrid couldn’t win any trophy during the 2008/2009 season. This year as well, their UEFA Champions League hopes were shattered by Lyon whereas La Liga trophy went to Barcelona. In contrast, the Blaugrana have rocked Spain, Europe, and the whole world at the highest level.Victor Valdes catches a Champions League ball.

Indeed, Victor Valdes has won it all. La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Super Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the European Super Cup, and the FIFA World Club Cup are competitions in which Valdes featured and triumphed in a space of only one year with Barcelona. No goalkeeper on the planet can boast of the variety of medals that Valdes possesses in club football.

No, no one. So comparing the two aspects – based on Casillas’ past two miserable seasons for Real Madrid and Valdes last two flourishing years with Barcelona – questions and doubts rise again:

Who should be Spain’s number one goalkeeper during the 2010 World Cup? Would it be right to pick the successful Barcelona keeper ahead of Real Madrid’s Casillas? Won’t it be a mistake to ignore the experience of Iker by giving the gloves to Valdes from now on? Whatever it is, Coach Vicente del Bosque looks set to maintain Iker Casillas as the team’s first choice goalie. But many keep wondering about the manager’s choice, though.

The obvious question that many might ask themselves is this: If Iker Casillas cannot equal Victor Valdes’ records in club football since 2008, then what on earth makes everyone believe that the Real Madrid shot stopper will reproduce the heroics he made during Euro 2008 at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa? Like most debates, this one might never end but Spain’s fate during the competition might offer answers to some and advices to others.



 

Related Articles

Member Sign In »

Username Password
Forgot Password | Remember
Not a Member Yet? Register Now