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Iker Casillas says tearful goodbye to Real Madrid: 'I am leaving behind great friends'

Reuters

Iker Casillas bid a touching, tearful farewell to Real Madrid on Sunday during an emotional press conference at the Santiago Bernabeu, saying goodbye to a club he called home for 25 years after Los Blancos announced Saturday the Spaniard is moving to Porto.

Related: End of an era - Real Madrid, Porto reach agreement for transfer of Iker Casillas

The iconic shot-stopper, who made 725 appearances for the club and won 19 titles, reflected on his time in the Spanish capital, where he's played since he was a boy when he joined Real Madrid's academy in 1990.

After 25 years of defending the crest of the world's greatest football team, a difficult day has arrived in my sporting career. It is time to say goodbye to this institution which has given me everything. It seems like only yesterday when as a nine-year-old I put on the Real Madrid jersey for the first time and my dream came true. During all this time we have suffered, laughed, cried and celebrated together. I have always felt supported and very loved, during both the good times as well as during bad times.

This club has not only taught me to be an athlete, but it has also shaped me as a person, it has helped me grow, instilling in me the values its crest represents: respect, camaraderie, commitment and, above all else, humility. I have always tried to take these values with me wherever I've traveled to represent Real Madrid.

Today I would also like to remember all the teammates I have worked with during each of the seasons I have been here. Over the course of these years we have experienced unique moments together. These teammates are like family to me and we have cried tears of joy and sadness together.

I am leaving behind great friends but I know that wherever I go I will always be able to contact them, and likewise they will be able to get in touch me. I also want to remember all the trainers I have worked under, beginning with those I had when I started out in the local tournament with the Losada team. From Mezquita, may you rest in peace, as it was you who got me started with the Real Madrid under-10 seven-a-side team, all the way to my last manager, Carlo Ancelotti. I remember them all because I learned so much from them.

Casillas, who made his first-team debut in 1999, and went on to capture five La Liga crowns and three Champions League titles - along with a World Cup and two European Championships with Spain - devoted time in his speech for everyone from the club's technical staff to his family.

However, the 34-year-old saved his final words of gratitude for the Real Madrid supporters - a group that fell out of love with him over the last couple of seasons as his performances started to dip and talk started to surface over a potential move for David De Gea.

Thank you for the unconditional support you have given me since I joined the team at 18 years of age, for allowing me to lift each cup, celebrate each triumph, be your captain for the last five years. For being with me during the good times and the bad. For holding out your hand so I could lift myself up.

There's a phrase I've often used in interviews and I'm going to use again: Above being remembered for being a good or a bad goalkeeper, all I would like is for people to remember me as a good person. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much. I'll never be able to forget you and you can be sure that wherever I end up I'll continue to shout: Hala Madrid!"

Read Casillas' full farewell here.

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