Iker Casillas may not be one of the finest shot-stoppers at the moment, but the Spaniard was an indispensible goalie in his heydays. He won two Champions League trophies with Real Madrid – one being La Decima – and managed 162 appearances in Europe’s top-tier club competition.
Being the player with the most Champions League appearances, no man knows that competition more than the Porto custodian. As a result, it came as no surprise that Marca asked none other than the World Cup winner to name the best Champions League starting eleven.
In his remarkable career, Casillas faced some of the best names in football – current and past. Thus, upsetting exclusions were expected. What was not expected, however, was that Saint Iker would omit several Real Madrid legends.
Going with a 3-4-3 formation, the 35-year-old chose Maldini, Baresi, and Sammer in defense; leaving out Les Merengues great Carlos Roberto. Competition in midfield was fierce, as Casillas named two Man United icons, Matthaus, and Nedved.
However, the Blancos icon left out a Juventus icon turned Santiago Bernabeu legend: Zinedine Zidane. In attack, he named Van Basten and Gullit. Check out his choices bellow.
- Gianluigi Buffon
- Paulo Maldini
- Franco Baresi
- Matthias Sammer
- Pavel Nedved
- Ryan Giggs
- Paul Scholes
- Lothar Matthaus
- Marco Van Basten
- Ruud Gullit
As you can see, Casillas named only 10 players, leaving the last striker position a mystery. Was he holding that spot for Cristiano, Raul, or possibly Lionel Messi? Comment with who you think should fill that slot.
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