Iker Casillas's wife undergoes cancer surgery 3 weeks after husband's heart attack

The wife of Spain's World Cup-winning captain Iker Casillas, Sara Carbonero, has announced that she has undergone surgery for cancer just three weeks after the goalkeeper suffered a heart attack.

Casillas, who made 167 appearances for Spain and 725 for boyhood club Real Madrid before departing in 2015, fell ill during a training session with his current club, FC Porto.

Carbonero, with whom Casillas has two children, announced via her Instagram page that she had undergone successful surgery on ovarian cancer.

"We hadn't yet recovered from the scare when life has once again surprised us," she wrote in a post late on Tuesday.

"This time it was my turn, this six letter word that I still have trouble writing [cancer]. A few days ago I had a checkup and the doctors saw a malignant tumour in my ovary that has been operated on.

"Everything has gone very well, luckily we got it with plenty of time, but I still have a number of months of fighting ahead as I go through the required treatment.

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Cuando aºn no nos hab­amos recuperado de un susto, la vida nos ha vuelto a sorprender. Esta vez me ha tocado a m­, esa dichosa palabra de 6 letras que todav­a me cuesta escribir. Hace unos d­as en una revisi³n, los médicos me vieron un tumor maligno de ovario y ya he sido operada. Todo ha salido muy bien, afortunadamente lo hemos pillado muy a tiempo pero todav­a me quedan unos meses de lucha mientras sigo el tratamiento correspondiente. Estoy tranquila y con la confianza de que todo va a salir bien. Sé que el camino será duro pero también que tendrá un final feliz. Cuento con el apoyo de mi familia y amigos y con un gran equipo médico. Aprovecho para pedir desde aqu­ a mis compañeros periodistas el respeto y la comprensi³n con los que siempre me habéis tratado, especialmente en estos momentos tan dif­ciles y delicados para m­ y mi familia.

A post shared by Sara Carbonero (@saracarbonero) on May 21, 2019 at 11:42am PDT

"I know there's a tough road ahead but I'm sure it will have a happy ending.

"I take advantage of this moment to ask that my journalist colleagues show the respect and understanding they have always shown me, especially in these difficult and delicate times for me and my family."

Her husband, who was released from hospital on May 6, has said he will announce his future plans in his own time.