Iker Casillas' Quiet Resurgence Key to Growing Optimism at Real Madrid

It's among the most lasting images of this summer's World Cup: Iker Casillas on his knees, head down and shoulders slumped; Arjen Robben and his Dutch teammates celebrating with unbridled jubilation in the background.

Netherlands 5-1 Spain. Casillas broken.

The scene, said ESPN FC's Gabriele Marcotti, could have been mistaken for Picasso's painting of Guernica.

Seven days later, after Casillas had endured his second humiliation against Chile, there was an image that remains equally vivid; the veteran goalkeeper sitting alone on the sideline of Spain's training session, his hand over his mouth and a defeated sadness in his eyes. 

It was the look of a man approaching the bitter end. 

Strangely, those images are the ones that have stuck with me the most from the 2014 World Cup. Despite Germany's stunning win, despite all the brilliance from players such as Lionel Messi, Thomas Muller and James Rodriguez, despite the feel-good story surrounding Costa Rica and Brazil's spectacular unravelling, my mind still flashes back to those images of a shattered Casillas, his picture encapsulating the pillaging of Spain's empire.

David Ramos/Getty Images

David Ramos/Getty Images

"The World Cup left me with a bad taste in my mouth," Casillas said during an in-depth interview with Inaki Gabilondo of Canal+ on Monday, per Inside Spanish Football. "I have a thorn in my side. I'll remember the last one and I don't like how it went in Brazil."

It's been a turbulent couple of years for the Real Madrid stalwart, who's lost his unrivalled superiority with the gloves in the Spanish capital, been accused of being a dressing room mole during Jose Mourinho's tenure and experienced friction with figures at the club, such as president Florentino Perez and teammate Alvaro Arbeloa.

The 'keeper's disastrous campaign in Brazil was the culmination of what Casillas describes as a "bad spell" that became so difficult he admitted that he'd "thought about leaving Spain"—a feeling that may have been heightened by the jeers and whistles directed at the 33-year-old inside the Bernabeu during a rough beginning to the new season.

But Casillas' fortunes have taken a quiet, yet noticeable turn, in recent weeks—"you can always draw positive conclusions from bad spells," he said on Monday—contributing to an emerging sense of optimism at Real Madrid after a collapse to Real Sociedad and defeat to Atletico Madrid had seemingly left the club lurching toward a crisis. 

David Ramos/Getty Images

Since that pair of stinging defeats, Carlo Ancelotti's European champions have reeled off six straight victories in all competitions, scoring a remarkable 27 goals in that time. Cristiano Ronaldo and his attacking counterparts may have captured the headlines, but the team's recent blitz has coincided with something of a resurgence for Casillas in front of the Real Madrid net. 

The Spaniard made a number of important stops to maintain Los Blancos' dominance in the 5-1 victory over Basel in the Champions League opener. At El Madrigal, he was superb against a flowing Villarreal, following up that performance with an equally important display against Ludogorets that helped to save the visitors from embarrassment against the Bulgarians. 

Four notable stops against Athletic Bilbao followed on Sunday, suggesting "San Iker" may just be capable of emerging from the horrors of the last two years to approach a level more reminiscent of the previous 13. 

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

One also feels Casillas' growing form carries a significance for Real Madrid that's unique from other players. 

"I have been here since I was nine years old," he remarked in Monday's interview with Gabilondo.

"Madrid is my home. I'll always feel this way. I was educated here and got my start here. I can't understand my life without Real Madrid," he added. 

A local product and a club icon, Casillas owns a place in Real's history for more than mere on-field exploits. He might have won five La Liga titles and three Champions League crowns in white, but there's more to it than that. He stands as a rare symbol of home-grown purity in a sporting organisation both renowned and maligned for its lavish international reputation. 

A cruel demise for the Spaniard—one that seemed likely only months ago—would tear at the fabric of Real Madrid. 

Ben Radford/Getty Images

Pleasingly—and perhaps surprisingly—Casillas' gradual emergence from a torrid spell in his career seems to have been born from a defiance many thought was beyond him after such a prolonged, arduous existence at the pinnacle of the game. 

Though he's conceded that the last two years have been a "struggle," the local hero hasn't bowed to the public pressure and criticism, refusing to accept his future lay elsewhere despite intense speculation.

"But then you think: 'I have to compete and fight,'" he said, firmly in the belief that a rocky 24 months have strengthened his resolve. 

Ancelotti's faith in the veteran appears strong too. "Casillas is my No. 1—and that's the end of it," the Italian said after the victory over Basel, per Goal.com's Ben Hayward, ending the lingering discussion of the competition between the Madrid icon and Keylor Navas.  

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

Others have also expressed the importance of Casillas, who's still at his boyhood club. Former Real Madrid star Roberto Carlos recently described the keeper to AS as an "idol" and a "club institution," who's "worn the shirt for 15 years," per Goal.com's Joe Wright. 

And it's why his quiet resurgence holds extra significance for Real—there's an uplifting feel to the Casillas story in the Spanish capital that his team-mates can't replicate. He might have only taken his very first steps along the path out of that "bad spell," but the infectious optimism surrounding Casillas has the capacity to permeate through the Bernabeu dressing room, given his place in the hearts of those present. 

"I intend to end my career at Real Madrid," he said firmly on Monday.

Most of us watching, both in Madrid and elsewhere, hope he does.