Will this be Iker Casillas' final stand?

Spain and Real Madrid's captain has endured hard times for almost two years since he was infamously dropped by Jose Mourinho and wound up losing his starting gig as Real Madrid's starter. And then disaster struck for the only man in history to lift three major trophies for his country consecutively. He continued as Real Madrid's backup throughout 2013-14 and then flopped tremendous in Brazil during the 2014 World Cup.

Many thought that his horrific appearance in the big tournament, coupled with his high-profile error in the Champions League final would spell the end for Casillas in Real Madrid. But not only did he remain, he was handed the baton as the team's starter for most of the year.

And the results have been mixed to say the least. Casillas has started a whopping 31 games for Madrid this year, many with mixed results. Early on he was a disaster, particularly in the air and his poor played climaxed in a nightmarish display against Slovakia in a Euro Cup qualifier that wound up costing his team.

But then the tide turned, albeit slowly for Casillas. He was terrific in the first Clasico against Barcelona and then started making more and more strong appearances for his club. This is a man who started his domestic season with one clean sheet in the first four Spanish League games before going on a run of putting up seven shutouts in the nine subsequent games. And to top it all off, Casillas had an excellent showing in late December when he stopped two penalties in two straight matches for Madrid.

All was well until the keeper suffered a disastrous game against Atletico Madrid on Feb. 7. The first goal he conceded was a huge mistake off of his fingertips. And then the remaining goals seemed like microcosms of his worst play. And it has seemingly spiraled from there with the most dubious performance of late coming against Schalke in which three of four goals were squarely on his shoulders. And while no one can fault him for the first goal in the recent Clasico, Casillas sure looked silly on the second goal by Luis Suarez.

That is not to take away credit where it is due. In both the Schalke and Barcelona games Casillas made some game-savers that proved to be huge in the Schalke match and could yet save Real Madrid the Spanish title if the side manages to finish the year level on points with its rivals.

But the question beckons -- is Casillas still a lock to start in goal in Spain? Many have called for David De Gea to be given the reins as the youngster has done nothing but play the hero for Manchester United all season long. He has made more than 30 appearances for the club in 2014-15 and has repeatedly bailed his poorly constructed backline out in crucial situations. To claim that De Gea has stolen a dozen points for United this season is a gross understatement.

De Gea is just as good a shot stopper as Casillas at this point in time, probably better given his more agile reflexes. He is also far more confident in the air, something that Casillas continues to look unsteady in.

It might be hard for coach Vicente del Bosque to do, but it might just be time for the reins to be turned over to a new driver. And it might be time for Casillas to become a passenger.