Isco Opens Up About His Time at Real Madrid and Future Plans in Candid Interview

2023-07-18

The Spanish midfielder is without a team at the moment and he took the time to talk to ‘Marca’ about his time at Real Madrid and the Spanish National Team.

“You are in Madrid and you are at the maximum that a player can aspire to. You are in the biggest club in history, in which you have also had bad times, but which, in the end, you always managed to overcome… I always ended up playing 40 or 50 games”, he began by saying at Isco in the second part of the interview..

And he continued: “In the end I always overcame adversity and played. I was a starter in two Champions League finals, in the Cup finals, in Super Cups… Until 2018 I managed to be in all the important moments and as I told you, Madrid is the greatest team in history. And here, in quotes, comes the problem. Because leaving Madrid at the exact moment you have to is the most complicated thing in the world and it has happened to many players. And now I go back to 2018. I had emergency surgery for appendicitis. The doctors told me that the matter was complex, with more than a month of sick leave. But after twenty days I was already playing. There the doctors had warned me that they were going to pressure me to return early, that I was going to feel fine, but that I was not going to be, that I was going to suffer… But the team was going through a bad time , with several defeats like against Alavés, CSKA and I felt that I had to make an effort to help my team”.

SOLARI WAS HIS COLLAPSE

“From there, Isco no longer existed for anyone. Not for the coach, not for the assistants, not for anyone. Nobody gave me explanations as to why I suddenly stopped having minutes and when I asked Solari directly he told me that nothing was wrong, but that the coach decided. I played, I remember, against Melilla and without saying a word, he left me several games in the stands like against Roma. Not even on the bench. He made me travel to leave me sitting watching the game in the stands. And I did not feel support from the club or from anyone. And now, looking back, is when I see that I should have left. But leaving Madrid is very difficult. Because, as I was saying, I had always managed to reverse the situation. Other seasons, the club called me to tell me all the offers they had for me, or that they were going to sign players in my position and that it was going to be difficult for me to play, but I always replied that it had taken me a long time to get where I was and that I It didn’t matter, he competed with whoever was needed. But this time it was different… I should have left”.

“After one of those games in which he had left me in the stands without giving me any explanation, I received a call from him in which he told me that I was training well and that he was going to start to trust me. He also told me one day when he was injured and didn’t make the list, but I thought things would change anyway. The next game he left me back in the stands so I really don’t know if he was laughing at me… Clearly I was wrong and should have walked away. But Zidane had arrived and with him he had performed well,” he said.

ARRIVAL OF ZIDANE

Isco did not throw the ball out and took part of his blame regarding his poor performance: “Zizou arrived in the final stretch of the season and I wasn’t well, really. It was a very hard year because of what I’m telling you, I was totally demoralized. Also after the World Cup, my head and my body couldn’t. The following season I started without playing, but there was a click in my head and what happened in other years passed, when I began to play important games: PSG in the Champions League, Barça at the Camp Nou, Super Cup in Arabia, against City in the Champions League I scored a goal. .. I was coming back again. But then came the pandemic. And after the pandemic I stopped playing. Honestly, it was more of a demerit to me. And the following year I was not well and my good times at Madrid ended. I played two or three games with Carletto and he’s done, but he was honest with me and I accepted it. I tried to train well and take advantage of the minutes that he gave me ”.

CALL FROM BARCELONA

Isco came to ring for several clubs, including Barcelona: “Bartomeu called me and with what Bartomeu paid at that time… But I was in Madrid very well, with my teammates, with an incredible atmosphere in the dressing room … It was the team of my dreams, in which I had won what I dreamed of… I wasn’t leaving Madrid for all the gold in the world. The city is also wonderful. As I have enjoyed at Madrid, I knew that I was not going to enjoy it anywhere else”.

“During the pandemic, since we had no forecast to return, it was an uncertain time for everyone and I relaxed. I did not work at home as I should have trained. And when you let yourself go in football, especially now that it’s so physical, it shows. And I paid it. But from there I also tell you that I got my batteries back on and worked hard, but football also depends on coaches, on teammates who are better than you… And it’s your turn to take responsibility”, the footballer was honest.

READY FOR RETIREMENT?

“I am not retiring. Wherever I am going to play. He has been playing soccer since he was three years old and has never stopped. Until now. But I’ll be back soon. I’ve had offers from Italy, Turkey, Arabia, Spain… But I didn’t want to go anywhere where I wasn’t mentally prepared. Now I am.”

And he gave clues about his new destination: “I prioritize, on this occasion, going abroad. I have played in Valencia, Malaga, Seville and Madrid. I am excited about the experience of playing in another League, learning another language, growing personally outside of Spain as well… I don’t close doors to anything”.

YOU OWE THE SPANISH SELECTION

“I see it as complicated, really. But I would love to win something with the National Team. I have a thorn stuck in that, because I have only been able to play one World Cup. I have never been to a European Championship, for example”.

“Why not? I have seen Navas, Cazorla and Albiol, who have returned at some point because they have worked hard and have played well. I do not lose hope or illusion. I want to make an effort and get rid of the thorn of these last years in which I have not had so much fun, in which I have been more apathetic due to personal problems… I want to get rid of that thorn and in 6, 7 or 8 years, when I retire, to be able to say that I knew how to redirect the bad moments. I want to leave football in a beautiful way, ”he added.

SEE FULL INTERVIEW HERE: BRAND

2023-07-18 22:22:00
#left #Real #Madrid #difficult