Former Real Madrid star's housekeeper arrested after 'trying to dupe legend out of £175k worth of watches'

The other person being held, according to Spanish Press, works as a security guard at the estate where the Spaniard lives.

“Police have already handed the suspects over to the courts,” Pozuelo IN reported.

“They wanted the watches to sell them for parts. Iker is shocked by the great trust he had in those two people who worked in his home.

“The arrested individuals, who have already been brought before the courts in Pozuelo, devised a plan to steal the watches without arousing suspicion.

“They replaced the originals with cheap imitations. Among the stolen items are several gold Rolex watches valued at more than €50,000 [£43,500] each, although investigators do not rule out that the total value of the stolen goods may be much higher.

“The couple did not sell the watches as they were, but dismantled them to sell the parts separately, which made them difficult to trace.

“It was Casillas himself who, after noticing irregularities in some of his watches, one of his great hobbies, alerted the police and triggered an investigation that has culminated in the arrests.”

They added: “Casillas kept his collection in different rooms of his home, without a detailed inventory.

“His love of luxury watches is well known, and he has even collaborated on campaigns for specialist brands.

“Upon discovering the counterfeits, the former goalkeeper filed a complaint, and the police began discreetly monitoring his home environment.

“Suspicions soon fell on the employee, who knew exactly where the collection was located and how many items it contained.

“In a controlled operation, the officers prepared a trap that allowed them to confirm their suspicions.

“At the couple’s home, investigators found fragments of dismantled watches and parts matching models in Casillas’ collection.”

Police are believed to have taken statements from the legendary shotstopper and his journalist ex-wife, Sara Cabonero.

He made 510 appearances for Real Madrid during his 16-year spell there, before moving to Porto, where he retired in 2019 after he suffered a heart attack in training.

Spain’s National Police confirmed: “The theft of five high-end watches from the home of a former professional footballer in Madrid was solved in less than 10 days.

“Two watches have been recovered and a married couple linked to the victim have been arrested as the alleged perpetrators of the crime.”

The suspects have been released on conditional bail following an appearance in court.

Casillas has yet to make an official comment on the arrests.