Casillas on the war with Mourinho: I accepted I was seen as the mole

Iker Casillas has said that although he was never the one responsible for information leaking from Real Madrid's dressing room during Jose Mourinho's time in charge at the club, he was willing to let the Portuguese suspect that he was the guilty party.

Mourinho oversaw a turbulent time in the Real Madrid dressing room and Casillas even lost his place in the side, with accusations made of him being a mole.

"He accused me of being a friend of the press," Casillas remembered as part of a Movistar + documentary, the latest episode of which focused on the relationship between the pair.

"I know people in the press, how could I not know them? But, it's another thing to filter information.

"People were talking about me, but I kept quiet, I didn't respond and I accepted that I was being seen as the mole."

Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi - who, along with Gerard Pique, appeared in the documentary - offered a defence of his former Spain teammate.

"There was an internal war and he [Casillas] was called a mole," Xavi said.

"It wouldn't have been easy to handle and I spoke with him then and he was having a very tough time."

Pique, for his part, expressed his belief that Casillas was left "unprotected" from Mourinho at Real Madrid.