“Casillas recalls heart attack at FC Porto and requests compensation of €3.7 million.”

Iker Casillas recounted in court the dramatic acute myocardial infarction he suffered in May 2019 while training at the FC Porto training center in Olival. The former Spanish goalkeeper, who was 37 at the time, is seeking €3.7 million in damages from the insurance company Fidelidade and the Porto club, claiming he is unable to work due to the aftereffects of the incident that nearly cost him his life.

In an emotional testimony, Casillas detailed the fateful day. “It was a normal day,” he began to explain. After dropping his children off at school, he headed to Olival around 9:30 am, had breakfast, and went to the gym for his usual training session. The critical moment came around 11 am, already on the pitch: “After 30 minutes of exercising, I felt a strong pressure in my chest. The pain was so intense that I had to stop training and lie down,” revealed the former Spanish international.

The former idol of Real Madrid confessed the fear that overwhelmed him at that moment: “I was scared, I had difficulty breathing.” Doctor Nelson Puga was called, and he quickly transported him to the CUF hospital unit in Porto, where he began a long recovery process that would forever change his life. “In the first week, it was complete rest. After 10 days, I started walking, but it took seven months before I began to feel like myself again,” he said.

At the time of the heart attack, Casillas was under contract for another season with FC Porto and had a firm intention to continue his professional career. “I had a contract for another year with FC Porto and my goal was to keep playing,” he stated emphatically in court.

During the hearing, the insurance company’s defense attempted to downplay the severity of the incident, confronting Casillas with his statements made at the 2021 Web Summit, where he allegedly said that the heart attack was a very quick event. The lawyer for the former goalkeeper contested this interpretation, emphasizing the impact it had on his client’s life.

When asked about his participation in exhibition matches, such as those of the Real Madrid Legends, and in padel tournaments, Casillas clarified that these are not high-intensity competitions: “They are friendly matches, exhibition games. They do not have the level and demands of professional football,” he stressed, dismissing any notion that he is fit to return to elite football.

This case, which involves one of the greatest legends in world football and one of Portugal’s biggest clubs, is expected to continue in the courts as Casillas fights for recognition and compensation for the impact the heart attack has had on his life and career. Monday’s hearing at the Palace of Justice in Porto was just another chapter in this battle that combines health, sports, and justice.

NOW YOU CAN FOLLOW THE WORLD CUP WITH ALL THE INFORMATION – HERE