It is worth recalling that Jose Mourinho named himself ‘The Special One’, and that Iker Casillas- who has been at Real Madrid since he was a nine-year-old boy in 1990- was dubbed ‘Saint’ Iker by his adoring Los Blancos fans.

And unlike Mourinho, who bitterly said one of his biggest regrets at Real Madrid was not dropping Iker Casillas sooner, ‘Saint’ Iker has retained his class in the wake of Mourinho’s departure to Chelsea.

Casillas has been a legend at Real Madrid, ever since he made his senior debut as a teenager in the 1997-98 Champions League.

He has played nearly 500 games for Los Blancos, and won a glittering catalogue of trophies with them, including five La Liga crowns and two Champions Leagues.

For personal and political reasons, Mourinho dropped Casillas from his starting line-up last season, even after the Madrid and Spain skipper recovered from the hand injury that cost him his position in the first place.

But despite Real’s season crumbling around them under a cloud of bad vibes, Casillas never spoke out against the manager.

And even now that Mourinho is nothing but a fresh memory at the Bernabeu, Casillas remains a creditable representative of the club he has served so well.

He says that even after being axed by Mourinho, he bears the Portuguese manager no ill will, and wishes him success upon his return to Chelsea.

"I don't hold any grudge nor do I feel mistreated by him,” Casillas told the Spanish media.

"He took the decisions which he thought were the best for the club and you need to respect that. I've nothing personal against him.

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to achieve our objectives in the Copa del Rey and Champions League in the end, but there's no point going on about that.

"Mourinho has embarked on a new journey and I wish him the best."