Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas suffered a heart attack on Wednesday morning, Porto have confirmed to Portuguese media.
The 37-year-old is recovering in hospital following emergency surgery, says TVI, and is not expected to play again for the club this season.
Portuguese newspaper A Bola claimed Casillas felt pain on the pitch during a training session led by Porto coach Sergio Conceicao.
Multiple Portuguese reports suggest the World Cup 2010 winner is in no further immediate danger and it’s hoped he’ll make a full recovery.
The former Real Madrid star originally joined Porto in 2015, having asserted himself as one of the most decorated goalkeepers in history for both club and country.
During his illustrious stay in Madrid, Casillas won La Liga five times while also claiming three Champions League trophies and two Copa del Rey crowns, racking up 725 total appearances for the club in the process.
In total, Casillas helped lead the club to 19 trophies during his Real Madrid tenure and also holds the record for most appearances by a goalkeeper in the FIFPro World XI as well as the record for most ever appearances in the Champions League.
Casillas’ heroics also extended to his play with the national team, as he was a key piece during one of international football’s most successful eras with Spain.
That Spanish team won three major trophies in a row, capturing the 2008 and 2012 Euros and the 2010 World Cup with Casillas started in each of those finals.
Since joining Porto in 2015, Casillas has won two trophies, including a league crown in 2017-18, featuring 156 total times in nearly four full campaigns.
The 37-year-old goalkeeper, who signed a new two-year contract with the Portuguese club in March, helped Porto reach the Champions League knockout stages once again this season, where they were defeated by Liverpool 6-1 on aggregate.
He’s started 42 games this season, including each of the club’s league matches as they battle for a second consecutive title.
Porto currently sit second in the league with 76 points, two behind league-leaders Benfica through 31 games.
The club will face Aves at home on Saturday in the first of the team’s three remaining league matches before taking on Nacional and Sporting CP in the final two matches of the Primeira Liga campaign.
Porto are also set to take on Sporting CP on May 25 in the Taca de Portugal finale at the Estadio Nacional in Oeiras. – Goal
