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Football

17th May 2019

Iker Casillas to retire after suffering heart attack

Simon Lloyd

The goalkeeper suffered a heart attack earlier this month

Iker Casillas has reportedly decided to retire from professional football after suffering a heart attack.

The 37-year-old goalkeeper made over 700 appearances for Real Madrid, winning five LaLiga titles and the Champions League three times. He also won the World Cup with Spain in 2010.

Casillas has been with FC Porto since 2015 but has opted to call time on his playing days following the heart attack he suffered earlier this month.

‘Iker Casillas suffered an acute myocardial heart attack during training on Wednesday morning,’ a Primeira Liga side later said in a statement on May 1.

Casillas

‘The training session was promptly interrupted to provide assistance to the FC Porto goalkeeper, who is currently at CUF Hospital Porto. Casillas is well, stable and his heart problem is resolved.’

Having posted a reassuring update to social media while in hospital, he later hinted his career was over while speaking to reporters.

“I don’t know what my future holds but the most important thing is being here today,” he said after leaving hospital. “I’m feeling a lot better, I’ll be resting for a couple of weeks or even a couple of months.”

Casillas’ Porto teammates conclude their league season on Saturday with a game at home to Sporting. They face them again in the Portuguese Cup final on May 25.

After these games, Casillas is expected to officially announce his retirement.