Poll shows Real Madrid supporters want Navas to be starting 'keeper
If Real Madrid supporters have their way, long-standing starter Iker Casillas will be watching this season's matches - the majority of them, at least - from the bench.
In a poll conducted on the website of Spanish newspaper AS, 53 percent of readers want newly-minted signing Keylor Navas to assume the starting role this year, with Diego Lopez coming in as the second choice (29 percent), while Casillas lags well behind, garnering just 17 percent of the vote.
Over 23,000 people took part in the survey.
Navas, who joined Los Blancos from Levante after a stunning World Cup performance in which he carried Costa Rica to within inches of the semifinal, inked a six-year contract with Real on Sunday, and now finds himself in a three-way battle for playing time between the sticks.
Despite appearing to be the new fan favorite, the 27-year-old knows it will not be easy wrestling the starting duties away from both Casillas and Lopez, who split time between the Champions League and La Liga last season - Casillas made just two league starts in 2013-14, featuring almost exclusively in Europe.
"Becoming the starter is complicated, I will work at Real Madrid with humility," Navas said.
"God does not put things before you that you cannot overcome.
"A six-year contract gives me peace of mind. I'll learn a lot from all the players. It's a great opportunity that I want to make the most of."