Iker Casillas, the former Spain goalkeeper, tweeted on Sunday to say that he is gay, but removed the message later that day.
The 41-year-old, who retired in 2020 after a distinguished career with Spain, Real Madrid and Porto, wrote: “I hope you respect me: I’m gay.”
Among the responses to Casillas’s message, before it was deleted, was a note from his former international team-mate, Carles Puyol, which can be translated: “It’s time to tell our story, Iker”.
It is still unclear whether the messages are genuine, a joke or the result of a hack.Â
Casillas was married to Sara Carbonero, a sports journalist, for 12 years and was married to her for five years before they split up last year. The couple have two boys, aged eight and six. Before his relationship with Carbonero, Casillas was with a former beauty pageant winner Eva Gonzalez.
When Casillas split with his wife in 2021 he put out a statement saying: Both Sara and I feel enormously proud of the family we are and of having shared a love that has filled us with happiness during all our years together. Today our love as a couple takes different but not distant paths since we’ll continue together in the marvellous task of continuing to be devoted parents as we have been up until now.
“This is a well-considered decision which we have taken through mutual agreement. The respect, affection and friendship will remain for ever. Our priority is, through affection and compromise, to share the wellbeing and education of our children and protect them so they grow in a stable and healthy environment.
“With these words we ask you please to respect our privacy in this moment of change. These will be the only public words we issue for the time being and in the future. Many thanks for your understanding.”
If Casillas is gay, he would be one of the highest-profile footballers to come out.Â
Casillas made 725 appearances for Real Madrid, winning five La Liga titles and three Champions League finals during his 25 years with the club. He also captained Spain to three consecutive major international titles in the 2008 and 2012 European Championship, either side of the 2010 World Cup.
He left Madrid in 2015 and joined Porto where he helped the club claim the Portuguese league title in 2017-18, but suffered an ‘acute myocardial infarction’ due to an undetected heart condition in July 2019 and retired in 2020 as a result.
In May this year Jake Daniels, the 17-year-old Blackpool striker, became the first current male professional footballer in Britain to come out publicly as gay.
The Prime Minister at the time, Boris Johnson, commended Daniels for his decision, tweeting: “Thanks you for your bravery Jake, it would have taken huge courage to come out and you will be an inspiration to many both on and off the pitch.”
Justin Fashanu became the first male British professional to come out publicly in 1990 but, after taking his own life eight years later, he had not been followed since.
It is extremely rare for a professional male player to come out publicly, with Josh Cavallo, of Australia’s Adelaide United, becoming the only openly gay top-flight men’s footballer in the world when he did so in October.
The likes of former Aston Villa star Thomas Hitzlsperger and ex-Hull City youth player Thomas Beattie waited until their careers were over before revealing their sexuality.
Photo Credit: Getty
