Iker Casillas: "When Mourinho benched me, it was for personal reasons"

Former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas as revealed that Jose Mourinho's decision to bench him with Los Blancos was due to a personal issue between the pair. He feels it was very different to when Vicente del Bosque benched him too.

"The two situations were totally different. One was more just because it was a sporting decision and the other was more personal. We were two people who had enjoyed a great relationship for a year and a half and then there were problems in the final year. When you're the captain of the team, you need to speak with the coach constantly. That doesn't mean you are more important than the coach but, in the end, you're going to clash and that broke the relationship," he told the Fundación TELMEX TELCEL.

It was back in December 2012, Mourinho decided to play Antonio Adan instead of Casillas. "On a personal level, Jose thought I wasn't better than my teammate. Or, to add to that, we weren't getting on well and it was much easier for him to choose one over the other. There are a lot of things which happened that people don't know about or didn't see, but I've got a good relationship with him now. We've seen each other a few times since and we've always shared kind words." 

"It isn't a question of holding a grudge over what happened as everyone looked at what was the best for the team," Casillas continued. "I decided not to have such a close relationship with him over the things I'd seen and he opted for someone else."

Casillas is also disappointed at how both he and Real Madrid handled his exit from the club in 2015. "We both got it wrong - the club and myself. It was a situation that shouldn't have happened how it did. If I could offer any advice it would be that if another player leaves Madrid, they are given an adequate farewell for all they've done for the club." 

"We've all learnt from that. I don't like seeing those images. I'm convinced that one day we're sort this out and do things the right way so people feel satisfied. Madridistas shouldn't worry, one day we'll sort it out."