Iker Casillas pulled on his gloves for the last time in 2013, a year he would prefer to forget. The club captain played his final game of the year against Olímpic de Xàtiva. He will not play another competitive match until 9th January 2014 against Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabéu.
However, before going on holiday, the World Cup winner will travel to Mestalla, where his relationship with Mourinho broke after the injury he suffered when Arbeloa accidentally kicked him.
That broken hand led to Diego López's arrival at Real Madrid and to Casillas being benched. It was Mou's second attempt to force Casillas out of the starting XI having failed to do so previously with Adán in Malaga, exactly a year ago to the day on Sunday.
Despite fully recovering, Casillas did not play another competitive game for Real Madrid during that 2012/13 season. The keeper endured Mou’s attacks without confronting him publicly, counting down the days until the Portuguese stepped down as first-team coach, and with the Confederations Cup looming on the horizon.
He has always been looked after and well respected in Spain's international set-up. Del Bosque put his trust in the keeper who had helped Spain to two European Championships and a World Cup. It was there that he felt significant again, playing three matches, including the semi-final and the final, the latter being the only game he has lost with Spain.
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