Before the start of the competition, there were speculations upon the selection of the first choice goalkeeper for the Spanish national team in the 2010 World Cup. In spite of Victor Valdes’ amazing performance in FC Barcelona within the 2009/10 season, Real Madrid’s Iker Casillas was chosen as Spain’s top goalie, and in fact, his record in South Africa is surely enough to prove that Coach del Bosque did not make any mistake in his selection.
Iker Casillas statistics – Saves in the 2010 World Cup
Due to his position deep in defense, it is useless to speak about the striking accuracy of goalkeeper Casillas. After all, as the one in charge of saving opposing shots, his saves are by far the most important thing on the field. As a matter of fact, Casillas has played all of Spain’s 6 World Cup matches in Africa so far, having a total of 540 minutes of play on-field.
He has conceded only 1 goal, which was scored by Fernandes in Spain’s opening match against Switzerland. La Roja went on to lose this match 1-0; but since then, they have conceded 0 goals, and this is all because of their outstanding goalkeeper.
Casillas even saved a fearful penalty in the quarter-finals against Paraguay to keep the score line leveled to 0-0 at half-time, following Alonso’s miss from the spot afterward. He also made significant parries against Portugal in the Round of 16, and with all these achievements in mind, it is not shocking to know that he has been able to save 12 deadly shots which his defenders were not able to stop in time. This makes him a contender for the Best Goalkeeper award, but now, he needs to pursue his “perfect” form against the Netherlands in the final, so as to keep his reputation, and help his side get what will be their first FIFA World Cup trophy.
Iker Casillas – Additional Statistics in 2010 World Cup
Fouls committed: 0
Fouls suffered: 1
Yellow cards: 0
Red cards: 0
Total passes: 145
Passes completed: 116
Total pass completion rate: 80%
