Iker Casillas has sealed an emotional return to Real Madrid and will work alongside club president Florentino Perez in an advisory role, according to reports.
The legendary goalkeeper was expected to officially announce his retirement in the near future after a lengthy and trophy-laden career and will now take his first steps off the field at his former home.
But the new capacity, which was revealed by Marca, will come as a surprise after Casillas had departed the club in the summer of 2015 in the midst of a heated war of words with Perez.
Casillas will hang up his boots in a fitting fashion at the end of the campaign after both Porto and Real clinched their respective league titles.
And his vast experience contesting for silverware at the highest reaches of the game may help him provide invaluable guidance to Real supremo Perez ahead of what could prove to be a tough summer for the club.
The bitter fallout between the two led to Casillas leaving with limited fanfare, in a move which infuriated supporters.
The 39-year-old tearfully announced he would be leaving in a press conference, which he conducted on his own and without any representative from the club.
His team-mates had jetted out to Australia for a pre-season tour, but Perez did not attend the media gathering despite being in the Spanish capital at the time.
The widening gulf between the club chief and Casillas was made worse after withering comments from the iconic stopper’s parents.
They claimed that their son had been ‘vilified’ and was forced out due to Perez’s preference for taller players.
But after what appears to be his final season with Porto, Casillas will reunite with the 73-year-old businessman.
He made his senior Bernabeu defeat aged 18 in 1999 and went on to enjoy 16 successful seasons with the club.
Casillas won five LaLiga titles, two Copa del Rey trophies, four Super Cups and also emerged victorious in the Champions League on three occasions.