Iker Casillas takes a swipe at Real Madrid defence with Thibaut Courtois joke: ‘A bad sign’

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. Casillas made a joke about Courtois in a humorous way. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) “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. Casillas and Mourinho had a turbulent relationship. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) 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