*Article:*

**Former goalkeeper Iker Casillas returned to the city of Porto to testify in the lawsuit in which the former athlete is demanding payment of 3.7 million euros from the insurance company Fidelidade and F.C. Porto for incapacity for work, due to the myocardial infarction suffered in May 2019 during a training session with the blue and white club.**

  
In the Porto Labor Court, Iker Casillas explained to the judge that his life was severely affected and that he still suffers from serious after-effects, revealing that he can no longer run more than 20 or 50 meters. According to the Público newspaper, the athlete also detailed the long recovery process, recalling that only after seven months did he begin to regain control of his life, after the first days of absolute rest followed by slow walks with minimal effort, in addition to becoming dependent on a vast list of daily medications to reduce the risk of new health complications.

  
Also according to Público, the legal battle has been ongoing since October 2021, motivated by the fact that Fidelidade and F.C. Porto consider that there is no evidence that the physical exertion performed in training at Olival was the direct cause of the heart problem that ended the player's career. In his testimony, Casillas recalled that the days before the heart attack were normal and that the dozens of medical examinations carried out throughout his career never detected any anomalies. The former captain described the exact moment he felt tightness in his chest and shortness of breath, the immediate assistance provided by physiotherapist Roberto and doctor Nelson Puga, and the subsequent transport by golf cart to the locker rooms before being taken to the CUF Hospital.

  
The insurance company Fidelidade has already paid 1.5M€ to the athlete, the maximum annual limit for work-related accidents, while FC Porto has paid more than 1M€ in salaries during his period of inactivity, both entities refusing further financial obligations. Casillas, in turn, claims the right to the prestação por Incapacidade Permanente Absoluta para o Trabalho Habitual (IPATH) *(Permanent Total Disability for Usual Work)* benefit, amounting to 2.5 million euros, equivalent to 70% of the remuneration he should have received until June 30, 2021, when his contractual relationship with the "dragons" ended.

The impasse that led the case to trial has to do with the contradictory opinions of the medical experts, since the independent specialists support the player and those from the insurance company reject the causal link. During the session, Fidelidade's defense confronted the Spaniard with statements he made at the 2021 Web Summit and tried to raise suspicions about possible excessive alcohol consumption and late nights during his career, which prompted protests from the defense and the judge's intervention to restore order. Casillas denied the excesses and also downplayed the insurance company's accusations that he continued to play veterans' football and padel, justifying that the football matches were mere exhibitions without intensity and that padel is practiced only twice a week for 45 minutes.

[Jornal de Notícias] Casillas claims 3.7M€ from insurance company for heart attack: "I can't run, I can only manage about 20 or 50 meters"