TENNIS superstar and Real Madrid fan Rafael Nadal thinks supporters should stop pinning blame on captain Iker Casillas following Saturday’s draw with Valencia.
The 2-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu effectively ends the Blancos’ hopes of stealing away La Liga from Barcelona, with Luis Enrique’s men – who have won 11 of their previous 12 games – needing just one more victory to seal the title.
Casillas, who got a hand to Paco Alcacer’s opener but failed to keep the ball out, has been under fire for much of the 2014-15 campaign despite backing from head coach Carlo Ancelotti.
And Nadal has now leapt to the defence of the club captain, insisting he deserves better treatment from supporters.
“Iker is not to blame for the goals,” the 14-time Grand Slam winner – who attended the clash after reaching the 94th final of his career at the Madrid Open – told reporters. “What seems to have happened is the public is just too demanding.
“Players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Iker Casillas… These are players who have done a lot for this club. As a rule, one’s own players shouldn’t be booed.”
Nadal offered his congratulations to Madrid’s arch-rivals, who need to beat either Atletico Madrid or Deportivo La Coruna to wrap up the Primera Division title, though he is convinced Ancelotti’s men were not distracted by their Champions League semi-final decider at home to Juventus.
“That draw has essentially given Barca the Liga trophy, pretty much,” he admitted. “One simply has to congratulate Barca.
“I don’t think Real Madrid had one eye on Wednesday’s clash with Juve. They shouldn’t have been [doing that], anyway.”
Regarding Valencia shot-stopper Diego Alves’ phenomenal performance – in which he saved Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty – Nadal added: “Diego Alves had a superb match. He stopped almost everything that came at him.”