Casemiro insists he could never contemplate joining Barcelona due to his love for fierce Clasico rivals Real Madrid.

The Brazil midfielder struggled for playing time at the Santiago Bernabeu under previous head coach Rafael Benitez, but became an integral part of Zinedine Zidane's plans at Madrid.

A fractured leg sustained in the 2-0 win over Espanyol on September 18 halted his progress and four consecutive draws for Madrid since then have highlighted his importance to the team.

Casemiro, speaking to Onda Cero, reflected on his time in the Spanish capital and ruled out ever swapping Madrid for Camp Nou.

"I'll never play in Barcelona, because in Spain I am a Real Madrid supporter," he said.

"Real Madrid is much more than I expected. I love waking up in the morning and going to Valdebebas [Madrid's training base].

"I love being with the players, joking, working, learning. I try to live football every day.

"Real Madrid is my life today."

Casemiro was also questioned about the talent of his international team-mate Neymar, who is part of Barca's devastating three-prong attack alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.