Vicente del Bosque led the Spanish national team to its greatest triumphs ever. Following a clear end to its greatest generation’s era with an early exit in the Euro 2016 knockout round, Del Bosque decided to call it quits.
In doing so, he contacted all of his players personally to say goodbye…except goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Apparently the management staff and Casillas didn’t have the same love the players do for the Porto keeper. Instead, Del Bosque let it be know the relationship was so strained he couldn’t be bothered to let his keeper know he was leaving the national team.
“With his team-mates he was perfect, but he was only so-so with the coaching staff. For that reason the only one I didn’t send a message [about my departure to] was Casillas. He feels bad with me, but also with [fitness coach] Javier Minano and [assistant coach] Toni Grande. With everyone else he has been fine. The anger has been with us,” Del Bosque explained on El Larguero on Caden.
It’s a bitter end to the brightest period of Spanish soccer. Del Bosque led his team to the 2010 World Cup title and 2012 Euro titles before bowing out early in each of the last two major tournaments.
Casillas was one of his best performers, but apparently not a best friend to those on the coaching staff.
Perhaps part of it was being left out of a game for the first time since 2000, or just simply 16 years with a national team finally building up.
No matter what, the end was nowhere near the fairytale one would hope.
