Former Real Madrid defender David Mateos feels Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos have both been treated unfairly amid speculation over their futures.
Casillas has agreed a deal in principle to join Porto from his boyhood club, although the move has hit a stumbling block after he failed to negotiate a financial compensation package with the Santiago Bernabeu side.
Meanwhile, Madrid have stayed silent on rumours surrounding the future of Ramos, with Manchester United keen on bringing the Spain centre-back to Old Trafford should his relationship with the club become untenable.
While Mateos is not surprised to see Casillas considering a departure - given the plummet in his standing among Madridistas following his falling-out with Jose Mourinho and poor form - he believes fans should remember what both players have given to the club during their careers...
"Well, not surprised, really! It's been talked about for two years, since Mourinho left the club," he told Goal of Casillas' potential move.
"The Casillas situation surely has not been what he wanted - it's the same for the club. It was expected this year could be his last. I don't know how the atmosphere is inside the club, or with the president, but from the outside it's being perceived that it is still quite unfair to Casillas, because they are forgetting everything he gave them.
"It's an unfair treatment. He gave everything for Real Madrid and Spain. I do not think he is going to leave the club badly, but as a player of his standing should do.
"From my point of view, they should be treated better. Ramos is the focus of all the news right now, as is Casillas. For me, as a Real Madrid fan, the Ramos exit means a lot. One of the things I like about Real Madrid was Sergio Ramos, because I admire him, both when I was training close to him and now from outside. As a Madrid fan, if I don't see a Real Madrid with Ramos, I'll miss something. In the football world people forget everything very quickly.
"Porto are a big club in Europe. Maybe the league is lower than the Spanish, English or German ones, where Casillas also could have gone. There's a Spanish coach and players, the city is close to Madrid, but it's hard to know what he thinks... It is a great club, though.
"Alberto Bueno has gone there this year and says it's amazing, it's like the Real Madrid of Portugal. I don't know if Casillas' decision is good or bad, but if he takes that decision, he'll have his reasons.
"He could also play in bigger places: Paris, Manchester, London, Munich... but be careful with Porto, they reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League. I understand that money is not the most important aspect for him now, and he's prioritising being close to Spain, playing regularly and having a coach who supports him."
Mateos, now at Ferencvaros in Hungary, says Madrid as a club have always looked after its star players, but concedes that supporters have the right to be critical.
"The players cannot have any complaints of the club treatment. World-class players come to Madrid and are given what they want.
"I was speaking of external criticism from the public. They may be right or not, and have their rights as they pay, but as a player, it's strange to hear whistles against Casillas. That treatment from the people is unfair, I think.
"People forget very quickly what Casillas has given, and what he may still give for some years, with the Spanish national team, for instance."
Mateos also denied suggestions that Casillas' rift with Mourinho emerged from a deep-rooted antipathy between the pair and even suggested that Porto head coach Julen Lopetegui treats his players in a similar way.
"That first year, I was in the squad, and I did not perceive what would happen later," said the 28-year-old of Mourinho's spell in charge.
"When I was there, the relationship was normal. It was very good, actually. Like any player with his coach, with mutual respect and little else. And when I returned to the club, I didn't perceive any problem.
"Knowing how Lopetegui is, he'll demand of Iker the same as if he were coming from the youth teams. There will be no preferential treatment, neither will he be treated as a God, but as anyone else, he'll demand the same as he does from the rest. Lopetegui is like that. He demands the maximum of players in every training session, and does not allow anyone to relax."
Should the current club captains ultimately leave, Mateos has backed Marcelo as the right man to take on the responsibility going forward.
"They always help if it's in their hands. If they have to step up for the team, they will do it. They fight for the good of Real Madrid, for the team and for themselves," he added of Ramos and Casillas.
"If finally Casillas and Ramos leave the club - but I hope Ramos stays - I think Marcelo is the oldest person on the team, and can instil in new people what Real Madrid is. He came from another team, but he has been at Real Madrid for a long time. He may be a good captain. Maybe not like Casillas and Ramos, because of what they transmit and what they are and have given to the club. But Marcelo is playing and can take that armband."
Finally, Mateos - who moved to Hungary in 2013 after failing to break into the Madrid first team - admits he is happy to be reminded of his Bernabeu days when people ask him for the inside track on Cristiano Ronaldo.
"People in Budapest ask about everyone, but especially about Cristiano Ronaldo," he said. "What he's like, if he goes to the gym too much... the typical questions people ask you in Spain, as well: 'Damn! Cristiano is so strong, how does he do it?'
"Like it or not, those questions flatter you because they remember you shared a dressing room with the world's best players. Now I see players and friends who return to Real Madrid, some who are still there, and for me it's a joy. I want them to take advantage of that opportunity and maybe have even more minutes than I did there."
Photo Credit- goal.com
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