The Stats Behind Iker Casillas’ Career Prove He Is One Of The Best Goalkeeper’s Ever

It feels like former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has been around forever.

In 1999, he became the youngest goalkeeper in Champions League history at 18 years and 177 days and the rest is, well, history.

Casillas would go on to make 725 appearances for Los Blancos in an incredibly successful 16 year period. He would lift three Champions League titles in Madrid, as well as five La Liga winners medals, four Spanish Super Cups, two Copa Del Rey's and two UEFA Super Cups, among plenty of other silverware.

He would also become Spain's most-capped player ever, amassing 167 international appearances. In that time, Casillas would lift the FIFA World Cup and two European Championship titles.

The 36-year-old eventually left La Liga for the Primeira Liga in 2015 and has since made 108 appearances for the club. In fact, he made his 1,000th career appearance against Belenenses on Monday night in a historic moment for the Spaniard.

It wasn't exactly the result both he and Porto anticipated, as he conceded twice against the 11th place side, but it's still some achievement.

The former Spain captain and his FC Porto teammates bowed out of the Champions League at the second round stage last month, following a 5-0 aggregate defeat. But that didn't mean the evening wasn't special for the former European and World Champion.

The second leg of the tie marked Casillas' 173rd appearance in European competition and the Anfield crowd showed their appreciation for one of the modern generation's finest goalkeepers.

As the second half was about to get underway, Casillas trotted out towards his goal, where he was greeted by an enormous ovation from the home crowd.

There is a chance that the game at Anfield may have been Casillas' last ever Champions League appearance, with the former Real Madrid and Spain captain expected to leave Porto at the end of the current season, having spent the last two-and-a-half years with the Portuguese giants.

If so, what an incredible career Casillas has forged.

Is he one of the best goalkeeper's of all time?

Let us know in the comments.