Iker Casillas deletes tweet saying he is gay with reports claiming it was a ‘joke’

Casillas has deleted the tweet.

Legendary former Spain and Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas tweeted that he was gay on Sunday afternoon. "I hope you respect me: I'm gay," a tweet from his personal Twitter account read. Casillas' post gained massive traction on social media, as he would have become one of the most high-profile athletes to come out as gay. The 41-year-old did not follow up his tweet with a statement or more information. Carles Puyol, Casillas' former teammate, then responded to the tweet saying, 'It's time to tell our story, Iker." However, according to reports in Spain, Casillas sent the tweet as a 'joke' following media speculation about his personal life. The former Spain and Real Madrid goalkeeper, according to AS, tweeted in an 'ironic' fashion that was gay due to the Spanish media 'leaking false information' about his personal relationships and 'linking him to different women every week.' Casillas was married to Spanish sports journalist Sara Carbonero and they had two children together before splitting up last year. They have since divorced. https://twitter.com/theMadridZone/status/1579102222897811460 Casillas has since deleted his tweet, and so has Puyol.