Iker Casillas: a brilliant career that could end abruptly

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Apparently, this is the final stretch of Iker Casillas' career. We tell you about three other players who have had to retire due to health problems

On the first of May of this year, the Spanish goalkeeper, Iker Casillas, was in the facilities of his current Portuguese team Porto when he collapsed in the field awakening the concern of the teammates who were with him. He was quickly transferred to the CUF hospital complex in the aforementioned city.

Leer en español: Iker Casillas: una brillante carrera que podría terminar abruptamente

What happened to the Spanish goalkeeper?

The doctors determined that it was a myocardial heart attack; According to the Spanish Heart Foundation, this condition appears "due to an insufficient blood supply due to the blockage of an artery" causing death in some cells of the heart and lack of oxygen in the myocardium.

But it seems that it was more the scare of the moment than anything else, because, according to Infobae of Argentina, Casillas was released on May 7 without significant upsets, but with strict care.

Maybe his life had never been in danger, but his football career did? According to this same southern media, Cadena Ser radio asked the cardiologist, Antonio Corbalán, who was a Real Madrid basketball player, the following concern: "Would you advise him to continue with a professional approach to sport?" And his response was forceful: "I would say no, but that is my opinion, and we must add the age of the Spanish goalkeeper, almost 38 years."

On the other hand, CNN in Spanish asked the world champion how he saw his future football to which he replied: "I'll have to wait a couple of weeks or a couple of months, the truth is that I do not care (how long) … No, I know what will happen in the future, but the most important thing is to be here and be able to speak calmly. " The future will have the last word. Of course, Casillas was not the only player to have gone through this dilemma.

Iker Casillas may have an opportunity, but we have seen on previous occasions that soccer players retire due to health problems, we tell you about them:

Brazil's top scorer

Ronaldo Nazario or simply Ronaldo was the historic 9 of the Brazil team, for some you could have been one of the best strikers in history, he was a born goalscorer; He is also one of the few players that have been in, possibly, the two best clubs in the world, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

For those times of 2009, the critics against the appearance of Ronaldo, because it had gained weight considerably; so drastic was his change that they ended up calling him "the fat Ronaldo."

But, as Comex Master reported, this problem went beyond a mere meal whim. The former Corinthian player was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, which means, among other things, the destabilization of the human being's metabolism; Due to this illness, the Brazilian historian moved away from the courts forever.

Read also: Wuilker Fariñez: the newest famous goalkeeper in Latin America

The French defender

Lilian Thuram, the historical player of the French national team and Barcelona, had an episode similar to that of Iker Casillas. As explained by La Vanguardia, Thuram, world champion in 1998 in Saint-Denis, announced his retirement from football after doctors detected a heart malformation. This central defender decided to retire from the courts at age 36, since his brother died from this same malformation in the heart. In 1997 Lilian Thuram received the decoration as the best player of the year in France.

Eric Ábidal won the battle against death

One of the most famous cases, if not the most talked about of all in football has been the case of Ábidal. This former defender of the French team and club Barcelona was diagnosed with liver cancer, his illness forced him to retire from the courts for a while, and in 2014 he announced his retirement was final; He was honored by UEFA as honorary captain, as reported by La Nación.

LatinAmerican Post | Miguel Díaz

Translated from "Iker Casillas: una brillante carrera que podría terminar abruptamente"