What was Iker Casillas thinking with his coming-out 'joke'?: Footballing Weekly

SINGAPORE — Iker Casilias is widely recognised as one of the finest goalkeepers Spain has ever produced.

He holds the record for the most clean sheets in the Champions League, while his lightning-quick reflexes have even earned him the nickname "San Iker" (Saint Iker) among Real Madrid fans.

But what was he thinking when he posted tweets claiming he was gay on Monday (10 October)?

The 41-year-old had apparently tweeted, "I hope you respect me: I'm gay", before hastily deleting the tweet. By then, his Spanish national teammate Carles Puyol had also joined in with a reply, "It's time to tell our story, Iker."

Later it transpired that Casillas was not coming out; he had posted the tweet as a joke, in response to recent rumours linking him with several women, following his separation from wife Sara Carbonero last year. He had apparently thought the tweet would end the rumours.

It backfired on him and Puyol, as criticisms came in thick and fast at their flippant tweets. Casillas was forced to come out with a statement claiming his social media account was "hacked".

"Apologies to all my followers. And of course more apologies to the LGBT community," he wrote.

By then, the damage was done. Tune in our "Footballing Weekly" show to hear co-hosts Neil Humphreys and Chia Han Keong, as well as guest Ash Hashim, talk about the repercussions of Casillas' and Puyol's tweets.

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