Yahoo! S.E.A Exclusive with Iker Casillas

HE'S one of Madrid's modern maestros and arguably the poster boy of Spanish football.
But it isn't just his chiselled good looks or high-profile relationship with TV reporter, Sara Carbonero, that has set tongues wagging all over Spain.
It's the very fact that Iker Casillas exemplifies the rare breed of successful graduates from Real Madrid's youth system today.
In this exclusive Yahoo! S.E.A interview with Casillas, the 29-year-old goalkeeper shared his experience coming from Madrid's youth establishment and spoke about the upcoming onslaught of four "clásicos" against Barcelona.
"The truth is that I received a lot of support when I was a youth at Real Madrid and I'm thankful for those opportunities," he explained.
"I honestly don't think it's true that Real Madrid do not care about 'Castilla' (youth team). There are many players who were from Madrid's youth set-up at almost every club in the Spanish first division and they are doing well. It's just that sometimes you need a little luck in football."

But while Barcelona's famed 'La Masia' academy has produced half of the players on the current squad including Puyol, Iniesta, Xavi and Gerard Pique, Real's youth system has been comparatively quiet.
And apart from Casillas, only midfielder Esteban Granero has successfully broken into the first squad. However, he has been relatively quiet this season with the purchase of German superstars Mesut Özil and Sami Khedira.
The situation has not improved with Real's well-documented habit of buying star players to deliver quick results.
Said Casillas : "In the future I would like for more home-grown players to be brought to the first team, and this will take time. But I believe it's possible, because we're a great club with a good youth coach."

Indeed, if one were to ask anyone in Madrid whom they respect the most in the current squad, there's a high chance they would mention 'San Iker', the affectionate nickname given to their national goalkeeper.
After winning both the Confederations Cup and World Cup with Spain in the last two years, he picked up the FIFA 'Golden Glove' award last year and was inducted into the FIFA All-Star team for 2010.
In addition, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) named Casillas the World's Best Goalkeeper for the past three consecutive years.

Indeed, Casillas has grown to be one of the club's prominent players and his 21 years spent at the club has seen his buyout clause rising to £128 million.
This also means that during his time at Real Madrid, he has faced Barcelona more than forty times.
And Casillas will be playing them again four times within the span of 18 days in three different competitions - including the Copa del Ray final and Champions league.
"Barcelona are Barcelona, and everybody knows that they are a team that has achieved a lot in football with extraordinary players. But we're ready to show that we're serious, because these four games are not just any 'other' (ordinary) games. We want to win the Copa del Ray and Champions League, and I believe that even the Spanish title is possible now," he explained confidently.
"We owe it to our fans, and the people in the city to defeat Barcelona and win at home. That's the only thing I'm thinking about at this moment."
Indeed, such is Madrid's obsession with defeating the Catalans that Jose Mourinho has declared a media 'black-out', refusing to allow his players to speak to members of the media about 'el clasico' in recent weeks.
But while the mood in Madrid is a mix of anxiety and slight arrogance, Casillas believes that it's simply a part of the Spanish culture.
"I've played many 'clasicos', and every time it's the same feeling. You know you have to perform your best out there because it's not an ordinary game. In Spain, everything is more cultural and everybody feels it. Football (intensifies) the rivalry that was already there," he explained.

OFF THE PITCH

Interestingly, apart from football, Casillas is also known for his high-profile relationship with Spanish TV personality, Sara Carbonero.
The two have been dubbed the "Posh and Becks" of Spain, displacing former favourites, Raul Gonzalez and Mamen Sanz.
And following the couple's infamous 'post-victory' smooch on national TV, Carbonero's face has been splashed all over the front pages of the national tabloids, with Spanish women all over emulating her sense of street style everyday.
And although he refrained from speaking about his personal life in this interview, Casillas admitted : "I'm very happy (during) these moments and that's all I want to say."
Similarly, Carbonero, who met him while working at the Confederations Cup last year, told Spanish magazines that she was enjoying her 'current life' with her beau.
And as a recently-elected UNICEF goodwill ambassador, Casillas has also been involved in projects promoting poverty reduction, education and health and issues affecting young people in developing countries.
He sent out an encouraging message to the people affected by the recent Japanese earthquake [WATCH].
And alongside his stellar achievements, Iker Casillas has certainly cemented his position as a role model in football.

Photos via Diario Feminino, AP