Casillas to consider leaving Real Madrid

Madrid, Oct 18 (IANS) Real Madrid and Spain captain, Iker Casillas admitted Thursday that if his situation at his club did not change in the next three months he would consider leaving.

Although he is first choice in goal for Real Madrid in the Champions League, Casillas has been reduced to substitute by coach Carlo Ancelotti, who has preferred Diego Lopez in goal for the club's domestic BBVA Primera Liga games, Xinhua reported.

Casillas' lack of first team action also saw him lose the Spain jersey for Spain's World Cup qualifying game at home to Belarus last Friday and although he returned against Georgia Tuesday, that is a clear warning to the goalkeeper that unless he is playing regularly then his place at the World Cup is at risk.

Perhaps it is that threat which prompted Casillas to speak at a promotional event in Madrid Thursday afternoon, when he was honest about his future.

"If the situation doesn't change in three months, I will ask myself the question and maybe the answer will be that I am thinking about leaving," said Casillas, who added that his wish was to stay at the club for "a very long time."

"Players have moments when they lose protagonism or enjoying the game and they think about taking a decision.

"I am a human being and a footballer and I have not played for nine months, so it also happens to me. I want to be here and to carry on winning titles for Real Madrid, but there will come a day when maybe I have to take a decision."

"As things stand now, my objective is to fight for a place as I have done all of these days. I had not been clear about my future, I would have said to the club president (Florentino Perez) that I wanted to leave and that whatever happened, I wanted to leave at Christmas," he added.

However, the goalkeeper didn't want to blame Ancelotti for leaving him out of the side. "They are decisions a coach has to make. There are 24 players in the squad and all of them want to play," he said, commenting that, "the club is more important than the individual player."

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