Iker Casillas claims Twitter account was hacked after announcing he’s gay

Iker Casillas, former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper, says his Twitter account was hacked after a tweet announcing he is gay was posted on Sunday.

Casillas said he is sorry for the post and tendered an apology to the LGBT community for the tweet.

“I hope you respect me: I’m gay,” the now-deleted tweet read.

The tweet had drawn backlash in the comment section, while Carles Puyol, former Barcelona captain and his longtime friend, strangely expressed support for Casillas after it was posted.

Hours later, the goalkeeper who suffered cardiac arrest in 2020 put out another tweet saying he lost control of his Twitter account.

“Hacked account. Luckily everything in order. Apologies to all my followers. And of course, more apologies to the LGBT community,” he wrote.

Cuenta hackeada. Por suerte todo en orden. Disculpas a todos mis followers. Y por supuesto, más disculpas a la comunidad LGTB. 🙏

— Iker Casillas (@IkerCasillas) October 9, 2022

Meanwhile, the World Cup winner’s initial tweet and Puyol’s response are regarded as a joke by Spanish media.

According to Marca, a Spanish news outlet, Casillas made the post because “he is tired of having [various] partners attributed to him” following his separation from his wife.

Casillas is not new to scandal; he was once accused by Jose Mourinho of leaking information about the Real Madrid dressing room to the press.

The celebrated goalkeeper won one FIFA World Cup, two European Championships, five La Liga and three UEFA Champions League titles during his 22-year career.