In late July, Real Madrid set off for the United States for preseason training, but this time the squad consisted of only twenty players.
All the internationals who had participated in the World Cup would determine their return dates based on the time and location of their national teams' final World Cup matches. Yang Yang and the newly signed Toni Kroos were the latest, as they had both played in the World Cup final, so Real Madrid allowed them to return to training on August 5.
With several key players absent, the squad traveling to the United States consisted mainly of substitutes and young players. The most eye-catching among them were undoubtedly Spain's national-team goalkeeper Casillas and Costa Rica's national-team goalkeeper Navas, who had participated in the World Cup round of sixteen but had returned early. Navas was a new signing.
The reason so many media outlets were paying attention was simple. If Real Madrid signed De Gea, Casillas would find himself in a very awkward position, and the chances of the Real Madrid captain leaving would be extremely high. If Real Madrid did not sign a goalkeeper that summer, Casillas's rival would be Navas, who had dazzled at the World Cup.
The Costa Rican goalkeeper had previously been little known and had not even made much of a name for himself in La Liga. He had attracted little attention, but his outstanding World Cup performances had earned him a move to Real Madrid and launched him into the spotlight.
Everyone also knew very clearly that the former Levante goalkeeper had not been signed as Real Madrid's first-choice goalkeeper. He was more likely to serve as a backup, so the key would still be Casillas's own form and whether Real Madrid would bring in a top-level goalkeeper.
The most noteworthy