Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas reveals reason behind deleted ‘I’m gay’ tweet, apologises to LGBT community

Iker Casillas on Sunday caught everyone’s attention on Twitter, where he asked everyone to respect him because of his homosexuality. The tweet was deleted soon and since then, the former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper took to the social media platform to reveal that his account was ‘hacked’. His initial post on Sunday read, “I hope you respect me: I’m gay.”

The post has since been deleted and it also received a reply from Carles Puyol, who quipped, “It’s time to tell our story, Iker”.

After deleting the initial tweet, the 2010 FIFA World Cup winner explained, “Hacked account. Luckily everything is in order. Apologies to all my followers. And of course, more apologies to the LGBT community.”

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Since the original tweet, Barcelona legend Puyol also apologised for his comment. Taking to Twitter, he wrote, “I made a mistake. I apologise for a stupid joke which was not made with any bad intentions but was completely out of order”.

But Casillas also faced criticism from Josh Cavallo, Australia’s first openly gay footballer. Cavalla also lashed out at Puyol and wrote on Twitter, “@IkerCasillas and @Carles5puyol joking and making fun out of coming out in football is disappointing”.

“It’s a difficult journey that any LGBTQ ppl have to go through. To see my role models and legends of the game make fun out of coming out and my community is beyond disrespectful”, he added.

The legendary footballer separated from sports journalist Sara Carbonero last year. The duo were married for five years and have two children together. Recently he has also been alleged to have begun to date Gerard Pique’s former partner Shakira, which he denied last month. Also, according to Spanish publications, Casillas’ deleted tweet was a response to rumours that he is in a relationship with Alejandra Onieva, who is the ex-sister-in-law of Spanish TV host Tamara Falco.