There comes a time in everyone's life when they have to look in a mirror and come to the realization that their time has passed.

That they are no longer as great as they once were. That Father Time is ready to take them away and force them into a new reality.

Real Madrid captain and icon Iker Casillas might be doing that bit of soul search at this very moment. He is coming off a disastrous World Cup and the preseason has simply done him few favors in terms of restoring faith about his abilities. The continued goaltending controversy at his club is not helping matters and it might simply be time for the 33-year-old netminder to give up and move on.

Or should he?

Goalkeepers are like wine. They get better as they get older. Some keepers last well into their late 30s and, in some cases, have huge impacts at the end of their careers. Take Italy's Gianluigi Buffon. The Juventus captain is 36 and still going strong. Other goalies peak in their early 30s, such as American goalie Tim Howard, who has been a top goalie over the last five years. Or even Diego Lopez who, at age 33, is playing his better soccer.

Casillas should still be a solid goalie at age 33. He certainly has a lot of miles on his odometer as his Madrid career started at the age of 17. Since 1999, he has made 478 appearances with the first team. And that is not counting the 156 caps he has for Spain. Compare that with Buffon, who has played a total of 700 games for two clubs and his country. Casillas is less than 70 games behind Buffon and he is three years younger.

The other major factor is that Casillas' game relies heavily on reflexes. He is not a terrific distributor, and crosses have always been his problem. He is not a huge guy like Thibaut Courtois and he is far from being a physical goalie. But his reflexes are the reason why he has risen so prominently. Just look at that save in the 2010 World Cup final against Arjen Robben. Casillas should have been beat, especially since he dove the wrong way. But his lightning reflexes ensured that he at least got enough of his toe on the ball to deflect it away. And that is just one prime example of how Casillas' reflexes have bailed him and his teams out in the past. His tremendous ability on penalties also attests to the heightened reaction he has often had.

But that relies on tremendous mental fortitude, on having instincts that are always attuned with what is unraveling before you. It depends on being able to feel out where the ball is going and reacting to it the moment it is unleashed on goal. Maximum concentration and confidence is necessary for a goalie to successfully rely on his reflexes.

For years, Casillas was known as the best of the best. According Graham Hunter, who has written on Spain's treble victory in his recent book "Spain: The Inside Story of La Roja's Historic Treble," his success was built on a combination of hard work and confidence.

According to Jose Mourinho, Casillas was not working as hard at the start of 2012-13 and was seemingly dropping off. That comes as a rather shocking surprise when one looks at Casillas' work during the Euro 2012. He was tremendous when Spain needed a big save (see the Croatia game) and then held his nerve in the shootout against Portugal. Then he seemingly fell off a cliff.

The problems were most noticeable during the Confederations Cup in 2013. During the penalty shootout against Italy in the semifinal, Casillas barely moved and looked completely overwhelmed after every shot. His reflexes were simply not ready. He was eventually bailed out, but not because of his own big moment. In the final, he failed on each of the three goals and was lucky not to concede more.

He looked out of sorts at times during his few appearances during the 2013-14 season, but his form improved as Real Madrid won the Copa del Rey and went all the way to the Champions League final. He literally bailed his team out in Dortmund, despite giving up two goals in the return leg.

But in the final against Atletico Madrid he seemed to have pulled out the last straw. His mistake was the result of poor judgement and a lack of concentration. He ran into no-man's land on an aerial cross and saw the ball lob over his head on Diego Godin's header. It was his fault and it almost cost Real Madrid the title.

And it has not gotten better since. He imploded against the Dutch in the first game of Spain's World Cup title defense, especially on the third and fourth goals. The third was simply another example of him misreading the play. The fourth was the result of poor concentration and a horrific first touch. The final goal, in which Robben turned him inside out, was the pictoral representation of Casillas' defeat. Four years earlier, Casillas was decisive and made a stunning reflex save. This time around, the netminder flopped around hopelessly as the Dutchman undressed him time and again. The first time around Casillas made the save. The second time around he was hoping for one.

The Chile game was another disaster and the preseason has been no better. To call the game against Manchester United anything other than an utter disaster would be a crime. And each goal had a common theme -- Casillas either reacted late to each shot or simply lacked the composure and position to make the save. The second goal was simply unforgiveable and showed just how delayed Casillas' reactions could be.

Casillas' game has never been simply about aerial prowess and decisive playmaking. He has relied on his incredible athleticism for most of his run coupled with the solid positioning needed to make those big saves. But speed and agility is the first thing that goes as athletes age. Casillas has seemingly lost his reflexes and may never regain them at the level of a solid or even decent goalie. Game time could be a cure all, but should Madrid even take the risk when Keylor Navas is onboard and provides a similar style with quicker reflexes at a younger age?

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