Looking Back, Casillas Regrets Not Challenging Mourinho at Real Madrid
Former Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas has said that if he had another chance to re-live his final years in Spain, he would make a point of standing up to former manager Jose Mourinho.
Casillas enjoyed a legendary spell as Madrid's number one, counting two Champions Leagues and five La Liga titles among a 16 year trophy hall, but saw a breakdown in his relationship with the club and its coaching staff towards the end of Mourinho's tenure in 2013 - dropping out of the starting lineup under the now Manchester United boss.
Speaking to Spanish TV station Vamos (via Marca) about Mourinho, he said: "He was brought in to compete with Barcelona and brought moments of great tension and the Madridismo in me that I don't like came out. There was a limit that he went to with me that I didn't want to go to.
"The third year wasn't all good, although we won La Liga, and it seems that there were many people whose relationship was shaken.
"It wasn't good for him, nor for me, nor for Real Madrid. I think if it happened all over again, I would have taken the bull by the horns and faced Mourinho.
"At that time, I opted to be quiet and I thought that was the way to honour the values of Real Madrid. Nobody has wanted to talk about Mourinho to this day and I think it is maybe better to let it be and let it go."
Casillas now plays for Porto in the Primeira Liga in Portugal, leaving Real two years after Mourinho in 2015, having added last season's league title to an extensive list of career silverware.
