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Iker Casillas talked about his nomination for the Balon d'Or and was adamant that being a goalkeeper was a clear disadvantage: "The Balon d'Or has to be won by the player that most deserves it. People are saying now that I'm in with a shout, but it's not something I'm obsessed about. Goalkeepers rarely stand a chance in this type of awards, but I still feel that we should have the same right to win a Balon d'Or as any other player that runs out onto the pitch. If Yashin won it, why not another goalkeeper?"

According to AS, Casillas also responded to claims that Spain is the best national team in the history of the game: "I don't know if it's the best, but I don't think there's any doubt that this Spain team is up there with the best of them. We've gone from suffering with the national team to creating something we can be proud of and we're now favourites in every competition. Everyone wants to win against us; we've become the team to beat."