Ancelotti proves Mourinho's hypothesis: Slowly but surely, Casillas's star is fading

Casillas’s injury comes at an inopportune time, and one that may lead to him getting even less playing time at Real Madrid than possible before. And, god forbid, it could affect his chances of being Spain’s number one keeper for the World Cup.

Vicente Del Bosque still entrusts Casillas with the Spanish no.1 jersey, but how long can he hold back the likes of Victor Valdes and Pepe Reina? These are keepers who play week-in, week-out and are match fit – two things that can’t be said of Casillas.

For long, both Valdes and Reina have played second fiddle to Casillas, having watched their international careers go up in smoke in the face of Casillas’s stunning form for club and country.

Now, though, the tables have turned. Casillas sits idly on the bench, while Reina was, last week, busy destroying Mario Balotelli‘s 100% penalty record. Valdes, too, has picked up his game noticeably.

The hounds have sniffed blood, and are in full pursuit of the coveted Spanish no.1 jersey. How long Casillas can hold them off depends on how far Real Madrid progress in the Champions League.

Ironically, the final nail in the coffin for Casillas comes in the form of his Champions League appearance against Galatasaray. The agony of having to go off injured after 15 minutes is exacerbated by the fact that Casillas is now cup-tied, and cannot appear for another club in the Champions League this season.

A January loan move has been mooted as a possible scenario for Casillas to regain form and match fitness, but where could he go? The big clubs, the ones in the Champions League, can’t use him since he’s cup-tied with Real, and the relatively smaller ones either can’t afford him or would be too big a step down for Casillas.

This was supposed to be a dreamy summer of freedom and expression for Casillas, but the reality of the nightmarish winter has just set in. La Decima is now no longer a luxury; it’s now a necessity, and the bare minimum if Casillas is to convince Del Bosque to start him ahead of Reina and Valdes in the first match of the 2014 Brazil World Cup.

Turns out Jose Mourinho was right all along, and Carlo Ancelotti has simply confirmed what was thought to be an untested hypothesis last season – Iker Casillas’s decade-long stint at the highest level is coming to a grinding halt.