Spain’s World Cup winning captain Iker Casillas suffered a heart attack while training with Portuguese club Porto on Wednesday, but later tweeted from hospital to say he was back to full strength.
Casillas, 37, played 167 times for Spain and famously captained them to their first ever World Cup win in 2010.
He also won the 2008 and 2012 European Championships with the national side and his exploits earned him the nickname “Saint Iker” as well as making him one of Spain’s best-known personalities.
Porto said Casillas had suffered an “acute” heart attack during training, but that he was stable in hospital and “the heart problem has been resolved.”
Casillas later tweeted: “All good here, a great scare but have all my strength. Many thanks to all for the messages and affection.”
Casillas started his career with Real Madrid, where he spent 16 seasons and won the Champions League on three occasions as well as La Liga on five occasions before joining Porto in 2016.
Born in Mostoles, Madrid, Casillas’ 725 matches between 1999 and 2015 put him behind only his former teammate Raul, with 741, on Real’s all-time list.
The goalkeeper is married to the Spanish television journalist Sara Carbonero, with whom he has two children.
Upon hearing news of the heart attack, former club Real Madrid released a statement on Casillas’ behalf, as did Real’s eternal rivals Barcelona, the Portuguese League, and Spain’s La Liga among others.
ESPN
