Iker Casillas has returned to first-team training at FC Porto, six months after suffering a cardiac arrest. After what can only be described as the most distressing moment in Spaniard's career, the 38-year-old has been advised to tread carefully with his health owing to his age and the severity of the situation.
Retirement seemed like the most viable option but Casillas isn't quite ready to hang up his gloves and has made his return to the Portuguese side after a lengthy period on the sidelines.
Casillas marked the moment in Twitter, where he published a photo of his boots.
He then wrote the following on his official Instagram page,
“The winner is not always who wins, but who gets up more times from the ground. It's time to eat the world. To be very happy. I hope, little by little, we will be able to build a world without prejudice. It’s you who set the limit.”
Pinto da Costa, president of FC Porto, hopes the goalkeeper will be able to play again, as he said to Portuguese media,
"Everyone knows the esteem that everyone in FC Porto and the sporting world has for this great Iker: he is a great athlete and great man. It was another step towards his full recovery and I am very happy, of course. I am convinced that we will still see him with the FC Porto’s jersey."
Iker Casillas has been playing for FC Porto since 2015/2016, was almost always as a starter, and he has won one Portuguese league title and a Portuguese Super Cup. At Real Madrid, he became one of the most decorated players in world football, winning five La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey titles, four Spanish Super Cups, three UEFA Champions League trophies, two UEFA Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup. In addition to that, Casillas also has two UEFA Euro winners medals and a FIFA World Cup title as captain with his country Spain.