Real Madrid have decided to give departing goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas an official send-off later on Monday following criticism over the low-key nature of his tearful farewell news conference on Sunday.
Casillas, who is leaving his boyhood club after 16 seasons in the first team to join Porto, appeared alone at the Bernabeu press room and choked up several times as he read out a statement thanking the club for “giving me everything”.
The contrast with his close friend and former Spain team mate Xavi Hernandez was telling and prompted widespread criticism in the Spanish media that Real had not treated their club legend with sufficient respect.
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Xavi, 35, left Barcelona for Qatari side Al Sadd at the end of last season and was given a series of rousing send-offs by fans, officials and team mates at the Nou Camp surrounded by family and friends and a glittering array of trophies.
Madrid president Florentino Perez and Casillas will appear on the VIP tribune at the Bernabeu at 3pm (UAE), Madrid said in a statement on their website. They did not say whether fans would be allowed into the stadium.
Casillas spoke on Sunday after Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo published an interview with his parents in which they said their son had been forced out of the club by Perez.
Casillas had been the victim of an orchestrated campaign of “vilification” in recent years which eventually prompted his decision to quit, they said.
Madrid did not respond to a request for comment and Casillas did not take questions after making his statement, in which he did not mention Perez by name.
Casillas’s decision to leave Madrid is believed to have been partly motivated by the expected arrival of Manchester United’s David De Gea, the 24-year-old former Atletico Madrid man who is also being groomed to take over as Spain keeper.
Regular playing time for Porto should allow Casillas to extend his international career at least until next year’s European Championship in France.
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How to get exposure to gold
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Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
