MADRID, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Former Spain international goalkeeper Iker Casillas has been given a coaching role at his current club FC Porto as he continues his recovery from the heart attack he suffered during a training session at the start of May.
The move comes a fortnight after Casillas returned to training with the Portuguese club on July 1, just two months after his heart attack.
A statement on Porto's official website reveals that the 38-year-old 2010 World Cup winner will "ensure the connection between the players, the coach and management".
"I will try to do my best to help my team-mates," said Casillas, adding that "the manager [Sergio Conceicao] talked to me last season when my situation happened and he told me that he wanted me to stay with them, close to the players, near the younger players, because there would be a lot of changes."
Casillas failed to rule out continuing his playing career in the days following his heart attack, and his return to training implied that he would continue a career that saw him make 725 appearances for Real Madrid, 156 for Porto and play a record 167 times for Spain, but it now looks as if he will hang up his boots after a 20-year professional career.
