Why Real Madrid's Isco Is Finally Getting the Credit He Deserves
There were three outstanding moments during Real Madrid’s 2-0 win at Elche on Sunday night that highlighted why Isco is not just a key part of their team, but Spanish football’s brightest prospect.
The first was his involvement in the Karim Benzema wonder-goal that never was.
Isco displayed that wonderful artist’s brushstroke dribble technique, confounding Elche defenders, riding their challenges, eventually shuttling the ball on for Gareth Bale to cross in.
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Benzema’s subsequent overhead kick was ruled out for an offside call which was marginal at best, but Isco had shown his intent.
The second was when he created a goal for Cristiano Ronaldo, a goal that killed the game. Isco darted down the left, showing a willingness to get to the byline that few central midfielders would possess.
Of course, Isco isn’t really a natural central midfielder, but we’ll get to that later.
Having confused Damian Suarez, he then whipped a cross in for Ronaldo, whose bullet header found the top left corner, sealing Madrid’s win and putting them four points clear of rivals Barcelona in the title race.
The third moment? When Isco was substituted for Alvaro Arbeloa, he was given a standing ovation by the Elche fans. They appreciated what they had seen on Sunday night.
As AS editor Alfredo Relano said back in October, “Isco is becoming a national treasure.”
That much was evident at the Martinez Valero, when thousands of Elche fans applauded him from the field.
Perhaps they were respecting a fellow Andalusian for the progress he has made since he broke into the Malaga team, but more likely, it was just an appreciation of Spain’s next star.
Iker Casillas certainly sees Isco that way. He told Canal+ after the game, per Goal: “Isco will be the most important player in Spanish football in the coming years.
"We are delighted with him but he must take care, focus on his game and go step by step. Too much flattery can weaken players."
On one hand, Casillas is clearly excited about the prospect of Isco, just 22, and what the future may hold for him. On the other, he understands the damage that can be done by over-hyping youngsters.
He’s seen the likes of Sergio Canales and Alvaro Morata come and go firsthand, never managing to live up to the headlines.
It was difficult to imagine Isco would be in this position when you look back to his first start of the season.
Having been used sparingly, as a substitute, in Real Madrid’s first few games, Carlo Ancelotti finally dipped into his squad and picked out Isco, playing him against Real Sociedad at Anoeta.
Real Madrid were torn to pieces, losing 4-2, after Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale had struck early on to seemingly earn Los Blancos an easy ride. Isco was booked on a frustrating, hollow night for the Spaniard and his team.
He was punished, effectively, by being dropped for the next three games. The next time he started was at the end of September, nearly a month later, when he impressed in a 5-1 win over Elche.
But from the 5-0 win away at Levante, a game he scored in, Isco has been an integral part of Ancelotti’s team.
Real Madrid have played 26 times since then and Isco has started 23 of those games. The three games he missed were through suspension, injury and once he was rested.
Throughout that string of games, which sees him as Real Madrid’s most used player (including substitute appearances) behind Toni Kroos, there have been several high points.
Isco, substituted with six minutes to go in Real Madrid’s triumphant, almost brutal 3-1 Clasico victory over Barcelona, was given a standing ovation by a jubilant Santiago Bernabeu, who chanted his name.
And a standing ovation was the order of the day again when he returned to face his former side Malaga, at La Rosaleda. He was unfairly sent off, late on, but Los Boquerones fans stood up and cheered him off.
Isco also scored two quite wonderful goals in a row, when he broke the deadlock against Almeria with a swirling strike, into the top right corner, then tricked his way through the Cruz Azul defence in the Club World Cup and netted again.
How has Isco gone from being the bench boy of last season to a key player this term?
He’s reinvented himself on the pitch. From being a No. 10, capable of playing wide, he’s followed Angel Di Maria’s example and started putting in the hard yards too.
The Argentine winger was one of Real Madrid’s best players last season, and that was playing from a central midfield position.
His departure was not really a boost for Isco, because Real Madrid had signed James Rodriguez, another creative type.
So Isco has turned himself into more of a box-to-box player than anyone imagined he might be able to. But he still has the attacking touch of an Andres Iniesta.
That’s the player he’s most like, when given the freedom to play how he wants to. Of course, Iniesta is a legend in Spain and Isco has a long way to go to match that status. But as Casillas pointed out, he has the potential.
During Madrid’s bad patch of form over the past couple of months, Isco has been the standout player, the one fans can turn to for hope.
Marca’s Ruben Jimenez waxed lyrical about him, writing:
"An oasis of football in a desert of Real Madrid play. Isco has become the great white hope of a team in freefall since the beginning of the year. Right now, Real Madrid are Isco and not much else. The Spaniard is a breath of fresh air in a team seemingly suffocating. A ray of light in a Real Madrid immersed in darkness.
It's not surprising that the Bernabeu has put Isco on a pedestal, applauding him at a time when the team is frequently whistled at and making him a kind of sacred idol in whom to take refuge whilst the storm of Real Madrid's crisis rages like never before.
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So Casillas has a fight on his hands when he says he doesn’t want Isco to be flattered too much.
But the performances of the youngster stand up to the praise he’s been given. He has eight assists in La Liga this season, behind Lionel Messi, Ronaldo and Denis Cheryshev, but equal to Benzema, Koke and Luis Suarez.
Isco is one of the big boys now, and he has a lot further to go.
Luka Modric will return from injury before long, and James Rodriguez a little later, but Isco will be hopeful that it will not be his place in the team at risk.
If he keeps playing the same he has been for the last few months, he can be confident.
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