46 Facts About Iker Casillas

1. Iker Casillas signed a contract extension that will keep him at the team until 2017.

2. Iker Casillas has established his own foundation called the Fundacion Iker Casillas.

3. Iker Casillas met Sara Carbonero, a sports journalist, in 2009.

4. In 2010, Iker Casillas was captain of the Spanish team when they won their first ever World Cup.

5. Iker Casillas has competed internationally on a senior level for Spain, since 2000.

6. In 2014, Iker Casillas was the captain of Real Madrid when they won the Champions League title.

7. Iker Casillas was chosen as the captain for the 2010 season, and then in 2011, Iker Casillas won the IFFHS Best Goalkeeper award.

8. Iker Casillas was playing on an international level as a youth.

9. Iker Casillas helped Spain end its lengthy drought of international success with his airtight defense in the 2008 European Championship.

10. Iker Casillas starred for the Spanish teams that won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.

11. Iker Casillas has his own charitable foundation, the Fundacion Iker Casillas.

12. In February 2005, Iker Casillas was the football face of Reebok's "I Am What I Am" global integrated advertising campaign that linked all the brand's marketing efforts under one umbrella.

13. On 31 May, Iker Casillas was named to Vicente del Bosque's final 23-man Spain squad for Euro 2016.

14. Iker Casillas received criticism for his role in Chile's second goal, where he punched Alexis Sanchez's free kick into the path of the goalscorer Charles Aranguiz.

15. In June 2014, Iker Casillas was selected to represent Spain in his fourth World Cup.

16. Iker Casillas set another record with his 509 minutes without conceding a goal in that year's European Championship, keeping five consecutive clean sheets and breaking the longstanding tally of 494 minutes set by Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff.

17. Iker Casillas was voted the tournament's best goalkeeper and awarded the Golden Glove.

18. Iker Casillas came in third place in the best goalkeepers of all time ranking, beating Oliver Kahn.

19. Iker Casillas kept clean sheets in all of the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches, with Sweden's first round goal by Zlatan Ibrahimovic being the last one scored against him.

20. Iker Casillas started the first two Group D games against Russia and Sweden before being rested in place of second-choice goalkeeper Pepe Reina for Spain's group stage elimination of Greece.

21. Iker Casillas played an instrumental role in Spanish progression when he saved two penalties in the shoot-out during the round of 16 match against the Republic of Ireland, earning him the nickname "The Saint".

22. Iker Casillas was part of the roster for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, initially as the understudy to Santiago Canizares.

23. Iker Casillas made his first start in 238 days in the Champions League group stage match against Galatasaray, but was injured in the 14th minute after Sergio Ramos caught him with an accidental elbow as the goalkeeper came from his line to make a routine catch.

24. Iker Casillas has a brother, seven years younger, named Unai, who used to play as a central midfielder for CD Mostoles.

25. Iker Casillas was born on 20 May 1981 in Mostoles, Community of Madrid, to Jose Luis Casillas, a civil servant in the Ministry of Education, and Maria del Carmen Fernandez Gonzalez, a hairdresser.

26. In 2014, Iker Casillas became one of four players to represent Spain at four World Cups.

27. Iker Casillas led Spain to their first World Cup in 2010, and retained the European Championship in 2012.

28. Iker Casillas amassed 725 appearances for Real Madrid, the second most in club history, before departing in 2015 to join Porto on a free transfer.

29. Iker Casillas began his youth career with Real Madrid in 1990.

30. Iker Casillas was a guest on the popular football programme 'Universo Valdano' which will be broadcast next Wednesday.

31. Iker Casillas would happily return to Real Madrid and Spain squad.

32. Iker Casillas Is Presented As Sportium Ambassador For FIFA World Cup 2018 Saint Iker, as he is lovingly called because of his warm personality, rose through the ranks at Real Madrid, before making his debut in 1999.

33. Iker Casillas was pictured prostrate, his face a mixture confusion and wonder, after Ronaldinho.

34. Since 2009, Iker Casillas has been in a relationship with sports journalist Sara Carbonero.

35. In January 2012, Iker Casillas agreed a sponsorship deal with Adidas to wear their Response goalkeeping gloves and Predator football boots.

36. In June 2013, Iker Casillas represented Spain at the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil, making three appearances as Spain reached the final, only to be defeated by the hosts Brazil.

37. Iker Casillas was Spain's starting goalkeeper during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, making four appearances as Spain finished the tournament in third place.

38. Iker Casillas was the highest-ranked goalkeeper in the 2008 Ballon d'Or, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and national teammate Fernando Torres.

39. On 29 June 2008, Iker Casillas became the first goalkeeper-captain to lift the UEFA European Championship trophy when Spain beat Germany in the final.

40. Iker Casillas played in all eight Group six fixtures during Euro 2004 qualifying, conceding just four goals.

41. Iker Casillas is currently the most capped player in the history of the Spain national team.

42. On 22 December 2012, Iker Casillas was dropped by Jose Mourinho for a Liga match against Malaga in favour of Antonio Adan.

43. In February 2009, Iker Casillas equalled Paco Buyo's record of 454 matches played for a goalkeeper and has since surpassed it to become Real Madrid's most-capped goalkeeper of all time at only 27 years old.

44. Iker Casillas came on and pulled off several key saves to deny a rampant Bayer Leverkusen the Champions League crown.

45. Iker Casillas was nominated for the Ballon d'Or award in 2008, ranking fourth overall.

46. Iker Casillas debuted for the Spain national team in June 2000 at age 19.