Lionel Messi sends out heartfelt message to former Real Madrid skipper Iker Casillas

Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas officially bid adieu to football this week after a decorated career encompassing more than two decades. The Spaniard was respected across spectra, with his rivals in awe of his professionalism on the field. This aspect was fairly visible when Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi sent out a heartfelt message for the goalkeeping legend. 

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Casillas retires: Barcelona skipper Lionel Messi's tribute

Writing a special message for Casillas in Spanish media outlet AS, Messi acknowledged his former Real Madrid rival who he came up against several times in his professional career. Messi said that although Casillas retires now, he had registered his name in the history of football a long time ago. Messi described Casillas not only a benchmark in LaLiga but a player who managed to win everything internationally. 

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Casillas was a spectacular goalkeeper: Lionel Messi 

Messi described Casillas as a 'spectacular goalkeeper', asserting that it was really hard to go up against him. However, it was a nice rivalry that forced them to outdo themselves every time they faced each other, the Barcelona skipper noted. Interestingly, Messi has enjoyed some of the great moments in his career against Casillas, including his first hat-trick against Los Blancos in 2007. 

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Casillas' career at Real Madrid lasted 25 years 

Casillas decided to call it quits on Tuesday, 14 months after he suffered a stroke. He was last involved with Portuguese giants Porto. Reports suggest that Real Madrid will honour one of the greatest players in its 118-year-old history with his appointment as the advisor to club president Florentino Perez. This, however, will not be the first instance of former players returning to Bernabeu. Zinedine Zidane, Raul Gonzalez and Alvaro Arbeloa are all associated with the Madrid giants.

Casillas' career at Real Madrid lasted 25 years before he departed for Portugal in 2015. Having racked up 725 first-team appearances with the Spanish behemoths, the shot-stopper clinched 19 titles, including five La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues. As the captain of the Spanish national team, Casillas guided his team to three international trophies - Euro 2008 and 2012 as well as the 2010 FIFA World Cup. 

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Image courtesy: AP