Football
The mysterious case of Isco: Nobody wants the golden boy, at 30 he is still without a contract
A five-time Champions League winner, three-time Spanish champion and winner of the 2012 Golden Boy poll, Isco, a ball wizard to behold, is a free agent at the age of 30. And no one seems to be interested in him.
A five-time Champions League winner, three-time Spanish champion and winner of the 2012 Golden Boy poll, Isco, a ball wizard to behold, is a free agent at the age of 30. And no one seems to be interested in him.
Without a commitment
Preparations for the season are in full swing, with the first league rounds kicking off this weekend in England, Germany and France. In Spain and Italy it will be next week, but the coaches have already got their squads together and are fine-tuning the last details.
And Isco? He’s training at home in the garden. After his contract at Real Madrid expired after nine years, he is a free agent and thus completely up for grabs. At 30, he still has undeniable quality for elite football.
Loss of motivation?
But that’s not all. In recent years, the media has begun to question Isco’s motivation for football, work ethic and training ethic, something he has struggled with for almost his entire career. Coach Santiago Solari even accused him of being too fat in a press conference.
Nor have the performances of the Spanish speedster been what we’ve been used to in recent years from 2016-2018, when Los Blancos went for a hat-trick in the Champions League and Isco played one of the key roles in that.
Maybe that’s why he hasn’t gone anywhere yet. Bringing in a player who has done just about everything he wanted to do and clearly lacks motivation is not something anyone will trumpet. And it’s one thing how big a name he is.
Life in Andalusia?
Still, there are two suitors. Rivals from Sevilla. First to be tipped was Betis, where Isco would follow up with Manuel Pellegrini of Malaga. He would be an interesting acquisition for the fifth La Liga team in the centre of midfield, but after the initial courtship, the news died down.
That’s why attention has turned to Sevilla FC, coached by Isco’s “football father”. Julen Lopetegui has never made any secret of his admiration and love for Isco, building his game around him in the Spanish national team and considering him a key player for La Roja.
The technical midfielder’s trust from Lopetegui suited him and he put in great performances, like when he practically single-handedly beat Italy in 2017 and delivered perhaps the best performance of his career.
But the same thing happened, after initial courtship there is silence on the trail and Sevilla’s interest is not so hot after all. So agent Jorge Mendes has to look elsewhere to snap up his 30-year-old charge. And Isco, by the way, is still training domestically. “I’m more than ready for what’s coming,” Isco told his supporters.
Source:: La Liga, Real Madrid, Instagram, Marca
