Isco: “I have no grudge against Monchi or Sevilla” | Soccer | Sports

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“Mentally I am in luxury. At the best moment of my career,” says Isco, the footballer reborn for football at Betis. It’s derby week in Seville and the Luis del Sol sports city is abuzz. The soul of Betis attends EL PAÍS relaxed and suffering from some minor physical discomfort, which, in the end, will not prevent him from playing the most special match for football fans in the capital of Andalusia. Isco is the best footballer at Betis, where he has broken into an impeccable season after spending six months training alone after leaving, precisely, this afternoon’s rival (9:00 p.m., Gol TV). He has gone from fighting with Monchi, Sevilla’s sports director at the time, to finding happiness at Betis. Just a few kilometers away, his life has changed radically.

“The truth is that I don’t know if I’m offering the best version of my entire career. I have had very good spells in Málaga and in Madrid. Yes, I am clear that I am in one of the happiest moments of my career. I enjoy every game and I’m having a great time,” clarifies Isco, who has a smile on his face when he is told about Betis and the reasons for his signing for the green-and-white entity: “I liked the club, its hubby. Betis called me and trusted me. I knew Manuel Pellegrini and his way of training and playing. I also knew many players on this squad. The little things that the club transmits from social networks also caught my attention. I am very happy to have arrived at Betis. It is a very big club. “Betis bet on me when no one else did.”

Isco does not wish to refer to what happened at Sevilla, his previous club. An abrupt departure that took place after Monchi’s attack at the conclusion of training. “It’s something that already happened. I don’t hold a grudge against anyone, not even Monchi, who was the only person I had a problem with at that club. Thanks to everything that happened, I am at Betis and now I am very, very happy,” proclaims Isco. Despite his indisputable influence on Betis’ game, the man from Malaga does not feel like the leader of the team. In Manuel Pellegrini’s game structure, Isco starts the pressure ahead of the rival and goes down to receive the ball from the center backs. He is a definitive player. “I like having the ball. I like to be passed to me and I like to run and press. Nowadays, in football, quality alone is not enough. Many more things must be done so that we all win. But I don’t feel like a leader, I put my qualities at the service of the team. I always liked to do it that way throughout my career,” he adds.

A long and successful career, from which he draws consequences at just 32 years of age. “Of course there are things he could have done differently. Maybe it took me a long time to leave Madrid, but hey, I can’t regret it either. Everything has served as a learning and personal enrichment for me,” explains Isco, who won five Champions League titles in Madrid, where he arrived in 2023 and left in 2022.

At the green and white club he has reunited with the coach, Manuel Pellegrini, who opted for him at Málaga when he was only 18 years old: “Pellegrini was the first coach who gave me the opportunity to play in the elite. I came from the Third Division. I really like his way of training and his way of relating to the players. His career supports him,” says the green-and-white midfielder, who has played 33 games with Betis in all the competitions that the green-and-white team has played in. He has also scored seven goals, six in the League and one in the Europa League.

Happy with his family in Seville, Isco is only afraid of the possibility of getting injured on the playing field. He adores his family and regrets the impunity that exists on social networks. “The more you expose your life on social networks, the more criticism you will have. People love you a lot, but they also show you a lot of hate,” clarifies the leader of a Betis team that is playing for European qualification in this derby against Sevilla. It will be the 141st official match between the two great rivals of the capital of Andalusia. One seeks to catch up with Real Sociedad in sixth place, while Sevilla, practically saved, wants to cut off its neighbor’s European aspirations. The Benito Villamarín will be full, with the presence of at least a thousand Sevilla fans.

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2024-04-28 03:15:00
#Isco #grudge #Monchi #Sevilla #Soccer #Sports