Iker Casillas' December tests to decide his future in football

Since his heart attack during training in May, Casillas, 38, has moved onto the management team of FC Oporto, the club he was playing for at the time of his illness and emergency operation.

He has never confirmed rumours he may be forced to retire, insisting it will be he who decides when the right moment to do so comes along.

At present, he and his wife Sara Carbonero are taking some down time at their seafront villa in Oporto after having spent a few weeks in their native villages of Navalcruz, Ávila province, and in Toledo province, respectively.

Sara, 35, is undergoing treatment for early-stage ovarian cancer following surgery in May.

Fans voiced concerns about her latest Instagram photos, in which she is sitting on a beach in a bikini and appears to have lost weight.

They were also worried about 'white marks' on her arm, but Sara clarified that these were scars from when she fell off a sledge aged three and broke her arm in several places, and that the scars show up more when she has a tan.

Neither has given details about their treatment or progress, although both are open the fact that they are going through the mill this summer and that their sons, aged five and three, are their greatest source of strength.

Oporto's manager Sérgio Conceição is quietly confident about Iker's return to football.

"He's a champion, and champions never give up," Conceição says.