Bye Bye Topo!

By El Maestro

Last Saturday, after days of uncertainty, Real Madrid finally confirmed that Iker Casillas would be departing the club to join FC Porto. Despite this, I’ve had to spend the last week hearing things such as Madrid disrespected Casillas, the fan base is against Florentino, Madrid doesn’t respect players, and much more garbage. Now, it’s my turn to speak.

Personally, I have no sympathy for Casillas whatsoever. I laugh at all these critics because it’s Casillas who decided to leave, it was his own decision to speak alone at the press conference last Sundays, it was him who rejected the tributes the club offered him in front of the fans (even though the club went on to host it), and it’s Madrid whose going to pay almost 75% of his contract at Porto. Casillas’ damaged relationship with a portion of the fan base is not because of Florentino, Mourinho, or even the press that defended him. The only person responsible for this is Iker and Iker alone.

Why? Because this is what happens….

• When you abuse your legendary status at the club.
• When you decide to care only for yourself and not for the team that pays your salary.
• When you get your friends in the press to start a campaign in your favor instead of working on the field to get your position back.
• When you turn the other cheek and allow your club, your coach, and your fellow teammates to be ridiculed by the press.
• When you worry about what the press thinks instead of what your own fans think.

Iker’s real problem is that he’s the most naive and ill prepared person of all time. He never understood how to handle tough situations and always got himself into more hot water than before. He was always more concerned about his national team duties, he actually believed that Xavi Hernandez was his “best friend”, and he really thought he could get away with calling Xavi and apologizing as captain of Real Madrid for his team’s behavior during the 2011 Spanish Supercup (when Madrid was not at fault). Even when he tried to win back that part of the fan base, he didn’t realize that he was throwing under the bus those in the press that defended him all these years (and they made sure to let him know). Not to mention he missed his best chance to leave on top last summer after the Champions League victory, despite his costly blunder. Madrid won ‘la Decima’, the entire stadium chanted Iker’s name during the festivities, and he was treated like a king. That was the ideal moment for him to pack up and leave on a high note, but he chose to stay another year and now the tables have turned.

I could go on, but I’m going to end it here. I don’t care whether Casillas does well or not at Porto. The only thing I’m happy about is that he finally left and that Madrid confirmed the signing of Kiko Casilla from Espanyol. Once again, I have no sympathy for Casillas at all. He was the worst captain in Real Madrid’s history, and yet he left with two tributes by the club, Madrid is going to pay almost 75% of his salary at Porto, and he even got a farewell card from Xavi Hernandez. There is no reason to feel bad for Iker. I’m sure Eric Abidal would have liked a fraction of the treatment that Casillas got.

Bye Bye Topo!

Don’t let the door hit you on your way out.