At 33, Isco found a smile and the pleasure of playing Betis Seville. Far from the Madrid tumult, the midfielder took the time to look in the rear view mirror in a long interview to France Football. A career made of incredible heights and brutal falls, moments of grace and periods of doubt. If he fully assumes his share of responsibility in his decline, he also does not forget those who marked him. And a trainer, in particular, had a special place in his career.
Zidane, the man who has changed everything
This man is Zinedine Zidane. For Spanish, the French technician was much more than a coach. “Zidane was the only coach in Madrid who bet on me at my natural post”explains Isco. He develops : “He changed the system to place me, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema. »» In this role of free electron, he shone in a thousand lights. His 2016-2017 season, the first of Zidane, was his best “On an individual and collective level” With 13 goals and 10 assists, concluded by a double Liga – Champions League.
This magnificent tribute highlights the contrast with the rest of his Madrid adventure. Isco does not bother anything, especially not the difficult times. He quotes Santiago Solari immediately as
“The coach with whom (he) had the most harm”. A return of appendicitis, a level down, and confidence has been stretched. “I am the sole responsible for my failure, it's me”he assumes with great lucidity, recognizing that he did not know “How to bounce back During this bad pass.
Isco without filter: “Zidane has changed the system for me”
The Renaissance in Betis
After a period of floating and a failed passage in Seville, it took another coach to restart it: Manuel Pellegrini. Isco even describes him as “The most important coach of (his) career”. In Betis, he regained confidence and
“Love” of a club which appointed him captain. A real rebirth for a player who seemed lost for the very high level, proving that the talent was still there, simply waiting for the right environment to express themselves again.
Today, even after a serious fracture of the fibula, Isco still runs. His philosophy is simple:
“Play to have fun”. This new maturity and its remarkable performances even earned him to find the Spanish selection recently, years after his last invitation. If he is no longer at the top of Europe as at the time of Real Madrid, Isco proves that he is still a magnificent player, whose career has been shaped by the tests, but above all sublimated by the confidence of a certain Zinedine Zidane.
