Real Madrid News
Iker Casillas takes a swipe at Real Madrid defence with Thibaut Courtois joke: ‘A bad sign’
Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas offered a typically candid assessment of the club while attending the launch of the 55th edition of the Panini LaLiga sticker album, with Thibaut Courtois and Jose Mourinho both providing memorable moments.
Casillas was asked to name the leading candidates for the best player of the 2025/26 season.
The former Spain and Real Madrid goalkeeper initially focused on the attacking stars before being reminded that goalkeepers were also eligible.
“I think Lamine, Mbappe, Vinicius and Raphinha could be in it,” the former footballer admitted.
“What about Courtois?” asked the event’s presenter, journalist Felipe del Campo, to which he said, “Ah, goalkeepers too? In that case, yes,” replied Iker.
That gave Casillas the opening to make a joke at Real Madrid’s expense, using Courtois’ status as one of the club’s most important players to poke fun at their defensive performances.
“It’s fine to have Courtois in the top three. But if the goalkeeper is the best player in the team, that’s a bad sign,” he remarked with a laugh.
Casillas gives blunt Mourinho description
The afternoon produced another notable moment when Casillas was handed a Jose Mourinho trading card and asked to describe the Portuguese manager in one word.
Their time together at Real Madrid was famously complicated, making the question particularly interesting.
Casillas, however, did not offer a conventional one-word answer.
“More intense and a harder worker than these two,” was all he said, pointing to Alvaro García of Rayo Vallecano and Johan Mojica of Getafe, who were standing next to him and had previously described each other in that way.
The response was brief but unmistakably humorous, allowing Casillas to acknowledge Mourinho’s intense personality without turning the moment into a serious discussion about their past relationship.
Source: Mundo Deportivo
Bernardo Silva was one of Real Madrid’s headline signings last summer. The Portuguese midfielder arrived on a free transfer from Manchester City and appeared destined to become the creative successor to Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in the middle of the park.
Indeed, with the club having not signed a new central midfielder, many within Real Madrid saw the veteran star as a solution to the issue.
Manager Jose Mourinho made him a starter from the very beginning in pre-season, but not in his usual role on the right. Instead, he deployed his compatriot as a deep-lying playmaker in the midfield double pivot.
A change in circumstances
Silva failed to have the expected influence when operating in a deeper role in midfield in the chances he got.
Combined with the emergence of Arda Guler and Aurelien Tchouameni’s return to fitness, the Portuguese international has now lost his place in the starting line-up and dropped to the bench.
Bernardo’s situation became particularly striking against Villarreal this past Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu, when he did not play a single minute.
Limited opportunities under Mourinho
Bernardo has played six matches for Real Madrid, starting three and coming on as a substitute in another three.
He did not feature against Villarreal or Elche, while his only appearance in the last three matches was a little over 10 minutes against Atletico Madrid. He was not used regularly by the Portugal national team during the international break either.
Across Real Madrid’s eight La Liga fixtures, Silva has accumulated just 282 minutes of playing time.
The Champions League now presents another opportunity for the former Manchester City captain, who has yet to make his European debut for Real Madrid this season.
He missed the match against Inter Milan because he was still serving a suspension carried over from his time at the Etihad Stadium last season.
It remains to be seen whether Mourinho will give him an opportunity against AS Roma in the coming week.
For now, the midfielder’s reduced playing time suggests that the Portuguese coach has lost some of his faith in a player who arrived with high expectations after leaving Manchester City.
