FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has sent a message to legendary Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas after the Spaniard announced his retirement from football this week.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup winner has officially hung his boots up following a stellar career at the highest level, during which he celebrated 24 major trophies.
For a long time during his stay with Los Blancos, Casillas went up against an incredibly strong Barcelona that featured a very talented Messi, who has now insisted that the 39-year-old wrote his name in the sport's history books many years ago already.
"Iker retires today, but he passed into the history of football a long time ago," Messi wrote for AS.
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"Not only because he was a benchmark in La Liga, but also because he managed to win everything internationally.
"You are a spectacular goalkeeper and it was really hard to have you as an opponent.
"But, looking back, I also think that it was a pretty nice rivalry that made us have to outdo ourselves every time we faced each other."
Casillas, who left Real for FC Porto in 2015, suffered a heart attack last year, and has not returned to the playing field since that incident.
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The shot-stopper represented Los Blancos on 725 occasions, winning 19 pieces of silverware with the club.
Where do you rank Casillas among the best goalkeepers of all time? Let us know in the comments section below.
