Given his illustrious career with Los Blancos, one might assume Casillas would pick a Real Madrid great—perhaps a teammate like Zinedine Zidane or Cristiano Ronaldo—as the best player of all time. However, when faced with the question, Casillas’ answer transcended club loyalty.

In October 2024, Casillas participated in a knockout-style challenge with GOAL in which he had to choose the better player from two options, with the winner advancing to face another candidate until a final decision was reached.

The challenge began with Samuel Eto’o facing off against Real Madrid legend Raúl, and Casillas selected the club’s legendary No. 7 and all-time appearance leader. Raúl’s spot as the top choice, however, was short-lived.

Casillas quickly swapped Raúl for Ronaldo Nazário, who held his position through subsequent matchups with stars like Zlatan Ibrahimović, Michael Owen, Romário, David Beckham, Ronaldinho, Gareth Bale, Pedro, Guti, Karim Benzema, and Rivaldo.

Eventually, Zinedine Zidane emerged as Casillas’ pick over Ronaldo, showcasing the former goalkeeper’s admiration for his former teammate. But even Zidane couldn’t hold the top spot for long.

Casillas picks Maradona over Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

After selecting the legendary French midfielder, Casillas declared: “I won’t move,” signaling his firm decision. However, in the very next round, Diego Maradona entered the conversation and ultimately claimed the title of the greatest player of all time for the Spanish goalkeeper. Casillas chose Maradona over Zidane, Lionel Messi, and even Cristiano Ronaldo.

Although Maradona had retired by the time Casillas began his professional career, the goalkeeper had seen glimpses of the Argentine genius during his stints with Barcelona and Sevilla in La Liga.

Maradona’s great legacy

Maradona’s legacy is undeniable. With Barcelona, he won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa de España. However, his most iconic years came at Napoli, where he lifted two Serie A titles, the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Europa League cementing his place as a legend of the game.

He also led Argentina to its second World Cup title in 1986, a tournament famously remembered for his stunning goal in the quarterfinals against England, widely regarded as one of the greatest goals in the history of soccer.

Casillas’ decision to name Maradona as the greatest reflects the Argentine’s enduring legacy and influence on the sport, even decades after his retirement.

Nonetheless many of the captains, including USMNT’s and AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic, voted that the Inter Miami superstar should be awarded the prize. Messi himself selected Haaland as his first choice, giving the Manchester City superstar five points; with former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe in second place (three points) and fellow countryman Julian Alvarez as his third option (one point).

One of the loudest voices for who actually won the award and for the starting XI formation chosen for the year of 2023, was former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas who took to X to air his grievances.

Iker Casillas on the FIFA The Best starting XI

On X, Iker Casillas tweeted, “1-3-3-4, It is not a lottery number. It is not the telephone code of a country. It is not my password for my iPhone. It’s the new football game system!! For the next starting 11, it is better to put a 1-10.”

Casillas shared the sentiment of many who believed the Best starting XI was too disbalanced and attack oriented. The FIFPro men’s world XI is as follows: Courtois; Walker, Stones, Dias; Bernardo Silva, Bellingham, De Bruyne; Messi, Haaland, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr.

Casillas vents on The Best winner

The former Spanish World Cup winner also took a jab at Lionel Messi winning the award by tweeting, “You create some nice prizes, and you are taking them away by not doing things fairly. “The Smile” is more like it. Anyway, good night!”

The tweet is in reference to Manchester City’s Haaland not winning the award based on the merit that the Norwegian international won various titles with Man City over 2023 and was the standout player of the team many consider right now to be the best in the world.

Many of football’s all-time greats made their name in the UEFA Champions League. A wide range of superb players have been on display in this tournament, from offensive maestros to sturdy defenders and outstanding goalkeepers.

The history of the tournament has been overflowing with exceptional players who made their mark with dazzling abilities, dogged determination, and the capacity to generate magical moments. Many big names have been engraved into the record books of football, making it an incredibly difficult challenge to choose the greatest lineup of all time,

In celebration of the luminaries who have left an indelible impact on Europe’s best club tournament, Transfermarkt have requested that ChatGPT prepares a list of the UCL’s all-time finest players. Today’s most talked-about AI system made an attempt at the impossible, and it delivered.

What is the best XI in UEFA Champions League history according to ChatGPT?

When it comes to its formation, the AI chatbot ChatGPT has opted for a 4-2-3-1. Iker Casillas, a Real Madrid icon and three-time champion, is in goal. At right back is the player who has the most trophies in football history, Dani Alves. Additionally, he has won the championship three times.

Three-time Champions League winner and Real Madrid legend Roberto Carlos would be deployed as a left-back. Center back is where Carles Puyol (three) and Paolo Maldini (five) shine, with a combined eight European Cups to their names.

Barcelona’s great and current manager, Xavi Hernandez anchors a midfield three, and he and his former Camp Nou colleague, Andres Iniesta have won eight Champions Leagues between them (four each). Zinedine Zidane, who won the title as a player and then led Real Madrid to three consecutive titles as manager, is also a key contributor in the middle.

Raul, a three-time victor, takes the lead in the front ranks. He’s accompanied by his short-time former Los Blancos teammate and five-time champion Cristiano Ronaldo. The missing element of the puzzle is Lionel Messi, who led Barcelona to four Champions League titles. There are a number of notable players that were left off the list, including Gianluigi Buffon, Cafu, Luka Modric, Clarence Seedorf, Ronaldo Nazario, Karim Benzema, Franz Beckenbauer, Philip Lahm, and many more.

Take a look at the lineup:

Choosing one’s top eleven players may be challenging for most people, but for Ronaldo, the possibilities are, unlimited. Therefore, selecting the best XIwould be a formidable challenge for the current Al-Nassr main star and team captain.

However, the 38-year-old has made an effort to do so.He may have stunned Los Blancos supporters by excluding a key contributor to the club’s recentUEFA Champions League success whenZinedine Zidane was the manager.

What doesCristiano Ronaldo’sbest XI of teammates look like?

In a recent interview with Goal Arabia, the five-time Ballon d’Or winnerlisted his all-time favorite eleven teammates. Ronaldo’s starting lineup included Iker Casillas in goal, followed by a rock-solid defensive quartet of Sergio Ramos, Rio Ferdinand, Giorgio Chiellini, and Marcelo.

He then went alongside United legend Paul Scholes and Real Madrid stars Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in the middle of the field. Finally, a potent offensive trio of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, and Wayne Rooney rounds out a fantastic lineup.

Given that the relationship with Rooney had seemed to be deteriorating in recent months, his selection may come as a surprise.Stranger yet is the absence of Casemiro, asthey shared playing time atboth Real Madrid and Manchester United.

The Brazilian midfielder, who can boast of lifting a total of five Champions League trophies in his career,was a crucialcog in Real Madrid’s success for most of Ronaldo’s stay at Santiago Bernabeu. As a result, the Portugueseveteran’s decision to leave Casemiro off his Best XI selection is up for debate.

Shakirashocked the world with her new song dedicated toGerard Pique. The BZRP Music Sessions collaboration withBizarrap, Vol. 53, hasbroken almost every record for a Latin song in different platforms such as YouTube. From that point on, the Kings League took advatange of the momentum.

Now, in another incredible episodeat the Kings League, Jose Mourinho appeared as a surprise guest. Read here to check out all the details about the ‘harsh’ message he had for Iker Casillas remembering their tenure at Real Madrid.

Kings League: Jose Mourinho sends ‘harsh’ message to Iker Casillas

During the last few days, the Kings League hadbeen promoting a famous penalty kick which was shot by Ibai Llanos against Iker Casillas. So, prior to one of the most expected moments of the year, Jose Mourinho gave an incredible advice to the famous streamer.

“If I sent him to the bench (in Real Madrid), there must have been a reason for that. He is very bad (Iker Casillas). You have an easy penalty kick against him.” Of course, it was just an extraordinary joke from Mourinho to Iker Casillas as part of the show in the Kings League.

By the way, Ibai Llanos indeed scored a goal in the Kings League with a penalty kick against Iker Casillas during the game between Porcinos FC and 1K Futbol Club. So, in the end, Jose Mourinho’s advice worked.

Despite their well-known closeness and a shared love of a good laugh, the two players took their on-field exploits very seriously. The Spanish defense that they established together went on a historic six-year run, winning the 2008 and 2012Euro, and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The Kings League oftenfacesthe wrath of the competition between these two La Liga heavyweights. Given that the pair are such visible emblems of both rivals teams, and that they have captained both teams for extended periods of time, their disputes are unavoidable.

What did Iker Casillas say of his opinion onGerard Pique?

With little hesitation at all, Iker Casillas called Gerard Pique a ‘total idiot and an asshole’when asked by Spanish influencerIbai Llanos. On his Twitter page, Ibai posted a discussion he had with the ex-Real Madrid goalie.

Llanos messaged Casillas, asking the latter’s thoughts on the former Barcelona defender:”Iker what do you think of Pique, don’t you think he’s a bit of an asshole? Be honest.” This was met with the response, “Totally childish and an asshole”.

Pique has been silent on Casillas’remarks, while other people speculate that this is all an elaborate PR trick, as the two ex-players have never been publicly rumored to have any serious issues with one another besides their on-field rivalry. Furthermore, they brought up the fact that Ibai, Pique, and Casillas are all Kings League partners.

Not for the first time, the Kings League has felt the heat of the rivalry between the two La Liga giants. These debates are inevitable, given that the two individuals in question are such prominent symbols of both teams, both of which they have captained for a considerable amount of time.

Gerard Pique’s recollection of the former La Liga referee Cesar Muniz Fernandez was the catalyst. The Kings League president and former Blaugrana player recounted a penalty that was previously called in a game between Elche and Real Madrid.

What was said betweenIker Casillas andGerard Pique?

The contentious play occurred with the score tied at 1-1 in the 92nd minute of a match during the 2012-13 season. The ex-refereewas instrumental in Los Blancos’ triumph by awarding a penalty that Cristiano Ronaldo later converted.

The 36-year-old centre-backremarked that “that penalty Pepe got for his dive against Elche was one of Madrid’s most historic disgraces”. The formerBlancos shot-stopper was not amused by this comment and did not sit mute in the face of these statements that made his club seem terrible.

Casillas replied angrily, “Disgrace was you against Chelsea, my friend”, in reference to the infamous disputed officiating by Tom Henning Ovrebo at Stamford Bridge during the UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals in 2009. Following Iker’s remark, Pique said, “I don’t want to get into this” to end the conversation and avoid further escalation of the situation.

Despite that, Messi‘s 2021 included winning the Copa del Rey with Barcelona and the Copa America with Argentina. To go along with those titles Messi’s individual honors went from being LaLiga’s top scorer, the Copa America top scorer, Copa America top assister, and player of the Copa America.

Still one old adversary struck back on social media and voiced his disapproval of Messi winning the award, here is what former Real Madrid and Spanish national team goalkeeper Iker Casillas had to say.

Iker Casillas angry over Lionel Messi’s Ballon d’Or win

Iker Casillas, who played over 500 games for Real Madrid took to Twitter and stated, “I find it more and more difficult to believe in these football awards… For me, Messi is one of the five best footballers of all time, but they must start to take note of who is the best player in a given season. It’s not that difficult. Others just make it difficult.”

Much of the criticism of Messi winning the award stems that it was given as sort of a “thank you” to Messi for the great career he has had. Lewandowski who’s past two years are worthy of a Ballon d’Or should have taken home the prize according to various media outlets. Nonetheless Messi’s year despite it being a down year for Barcelona, was exceptional individually.