Iker Casillas was yesterday named by the IFFHS [International Federation of Football History and Statistics] as the best goalkeeper of 2008.
The honour follows a massive array of accolades he picked up throughout last year, including the Primera División, Supercopa and Euro 2008 titles, the Zamora trophy for the best goalkeeper in La Liga in the 07/08 campaign, a fourth place finish in the Ballon d’Or classification and making countless ‘Team of the Year’ lists.
After a slight dip in form in the final months of 2008, the 27-year-old has quickly regained his best form following the arrival of new coach, Juande Ramos. And the former Sevilla and Tottenham Hotspur trainer had nothing but praise for the shot-stopper.
“After a lot of hard work, his quality has finally been recognised and this is a source of great joy for Real Madrid and Spanish football,” he said on the club’s official website.
“He is an excellent professional and the progression in his career has always been upwards.
“He is also very involved and united with the squad and this shows his leadership attributes. He has always been an admirable goalkeeper and now that I am lucky enough to work with him, I reaffirm the opinion I’ve always had of Iker.
“He has a lot of charisma and he has a great sense of responsibility. He is an example to the lads because of his dedication and his willingness to continue improving despite having won almost everything. He fully deserves the award,” Juande concluded.
Casillas will be aiming to keep a third consecutive clean sheet in La Liga when he and his Los Blancos troops take on Mallorca on Sunday.
KS Leong, Goal.com
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